Laura Pearl Wall

Laura Pearl Wall

April 16, 1923 - Jan. 31, 2015

WRAY, Colo. -- Laura Pearl Woods was born April 16, 1923, the second child of Leola Grace (Jones) and Royal Woods II, north of Haigler, Nebraska, and died Jan. 31, 2015, in Wray, Colorado. She had been named in honor of her grandma Laura Jones and grandmother Pearl Woods and always treasured her name. Laura Pearl loved growing up with her older brother, Royal, sister, Mildred, and little brothers, Raymond and Donald.

She attended the most wonderful country school ever, Sunny Slope, District 74 and graduated from Haigler High School in 1940. After receiving her teaching certificate from Kearney State College, she taught school for one year at Progressive Valley.

Wedding bells rang for Laura Pearl and Richard Maurice Wall, son of Iva (Sharp) and Charles Russell Wall, on May 10, 1942, after the corn was planted. They lived on the farm west of Haigler for nearly 65 years of marriage until Richard died in 2007. Carol Lee was born in 1943, Richard Duane, 1945, Jeannie Lynn, 1946, JoAnn Gayle, 1948, Maurice Dwight, 1949, and MerryLu in 1950. They had to endure the tragic death of JoAnn in 1949.

Besides all the work with raising a large family, Laura Pearl loved being involved in the Haigler United Methodist Church, Rainbow Extention Club, Women's Club, 4-H clubs, PTA, and cemetery board and getting the Golden Inn started. Probably no one loved her beloved Haigler, Nebraska, more than she did and she worked tirelessly for the community. She stayed in her Nebraska home until moving to Hillcrest in 2012, until her death.

Laura Pearl was instrumental in the recording of the history of the area with Methodist Memories, Memories of Country Schools, Dundy County Heritage, and Haigler Centennial. She was a writer and poet.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Richard; daughter, JoAnn; brothers, Royal Woods Ill and Raymond Woods; and sister, Mildred Elaine Waters; grandsons, Brent Austin Flaming and Dustin Duane Wall.

Surviving her are Carol and Jay Flaming, Heather and Greg Klein, Logan and Noel; Duane and LuAnn Wall, Wendy Lee and Blaine Lee, Sydney and Gracie Wall; Jeannie and Alfred Zuege, Kurt Zuege, Kim Zuege, and Zachary Zuege; Dwight Wall, Azure Wall, Jessica Wall, Caleb and Sherrill Wall, Allison, Whitney, Olivia and Annie Opal; Lyndsay and Cody Lashley, Claire and Ewan; MerryLu and Robert Simmons, Laurie Perila, Laura, Madison, and Spencer; Robert Todd Simmons and Deb Larsen and Amber Daniels-Simmons; Quentin and Tonya Simmons, Taya and Skyla; brother, Donald and Phyllis Woods, sisters-in-law, Helen Woods, Patricia Pickett and Virginia Rathbun, and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

A visitation was Monday, Feb.2, 2015, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Schmidt-Jones Funeral Home, 427 Adams Street, Wray, Colorado, 80758. Funeral services were at Haigler United Methodist Church in Haigler, Nebraska, on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015, at 11 a.m. with Pastor Terry Douglass officiating. Interment was in the Haigler Cemetery in Haigler, Nebraska.

Memorials may be made to the Haigler United Methodist Church, 361 S. King Avenue, P.O. Box 53, Haigler, Nebraska 69030. Schmidt - Jones Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.