A fond farewell to a ‘Grand Lady’! This past week our Valley Home community lost a very dear friend, Mrs. Laura Burghardt. Laura was a cherished friend to all who knew her! Laura was a pillar within our Valley Home community. Before becoming ill, Laura was involved in almost every event in Valley Home. Both Laura and her husband Glenn have worked hard to help make our community such a special place. We appreciate and love Laura and Glenn very, very much! The couple has always been deeply devoted to each other. Laura was also deeply devoted to her beloved Valley Home community. Their love for each other was always evident in everything they did! Our Valley Home community sends our most heartfelt sympathy to Laura’s dear husband Glenn and to her loving family.

Laura was well known for always making sure she took the time to appreciate the beauty in every day. She made time to ... “Stop and Smell the Roses!” Laura loved all flowers and plants ... she especially enjoyed wildflowers ... I believe she actually loved every flower and most all living things!

Laura’s family was very important to her; she loved them dearly, always keeping each one of them close to her heart at all times!

Laura loved color; she was a beautiful woman with a wonderful sense of fashion and when the occasion called for it, Laura would go from being a hard working community member to such an elegant, beautiful, poised and truly a ‘Grand Lady’! I have wonderful memories of Laura and Glenn enjoying late afternoon dinners at the park together along with several other community members. Laura loved to share; she and Glenn would bring a favorite dish to share and along with other community members they spent many of those hot Valley Home summer afternoons visiting and enjoying our beautiful community park. The hardworking couple along with many others worked tirelessly to help make our Valley Home Community Park a reality! Laura loved history and had a vast amount of knowledge on most every subject. She and Glenn donated much time and expertise to many, many groups!

Our Valley Home community is blessed to have had this kind, caring woman share so much of herself with all of us!

Laura was an amazing writer. She had the tremendous ability to bring her readers right into her storyline; you could picture each setting, every storyline, her writing was magnificent. One of Laura’s many accomplishments was writing this column, the Valley Home News, each week for 38 years. She loved her community!

Her love for her beloved Valley Home friends and the community she cherished will live on in the hearts of all who knew her!

Visitation March 17, 2022; from 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Funeral Ceremony March 18, 2022; 10:00 a.m., Oakdale Memorial Chapel.

Celebration of Life in Valley Home, time and location to be announced.

We will miss our beautiful ‘Grand Lady’!

Rest in Heavenly Peace, Dear Laura.