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Memorials: Olympia Friends Meeting

Laura Williams

Date of birth

June 13, 1990

Date of death

July 30, 2020

Meeting

Olympia Friends Meeting

Memorial minute

Laura Hope Williams passed away July 3, 2020, in Olympia, Washington, where she was born June 13, 1990, to Marvin Young and Fran Williams. She attended Avanti High School in Olympia, and graduated in June, 2008 from The Meeting School in Keene, New Hampshire. Laura worked as a DNR fire crew member, a laborer at a turf farm, as a City of Tumwater parks maintenance crew member, and had just started working with Olympia Public Works water supply services.

While working for Tumwater Parks, Laura could be found listening to tunes as she drove her Ventrac mower at Pioneer Park.  She would also give as much as she got from her crew while clearing out blackberries, digging up the city streets, or painting fire hydrants elf-green.

She enjoyed hiking, photography, sailing, dinners with family or friends, and playing rugby, most recently with the Budd Bay Bandits Rugby team.

Laura is survived by her parents, and her brother, Brian Young.  She is also survived by her grandmother, Phoebe Young, whom she loved dearly, making memorable trips during holidays and family vacations.  In addition, she is survived by her maternal uncle, Jim Williams; her aunt, Ann Williams; paternal uncle, Thomas Young; and by her cousin, Dylan Young, and his wife, Asma.

Laura was just as likely to hang out with her parents’ close friends as with her own!  She also enjoyed and was enjoyed by her hiking buddies, co-workers, and friends. If you met her and her dog Lucky on a trail, you too got to see her smile and feel her glow.

She belonged to the Olympia Friends Meeting where she worshiped as a young person, attended social gatherings at Lazy F Camp and at Friends General Conference and Yearly Meeting.  Laura could often be found at these gatherings on hikes (of course) on ski trips, or in a cuddle puddle.

Laura had a unique relationship with her “womb buddies,” all born within a year of each other, most of whom were also Quakers.  They called themselves RCLAMS, after their first name initials.  This group of beautiful young women she knew literally from birth, grew up with them, and built a stock of lifetime memories.

Olympia Meeting will deeply miss Laura’s smile and energy.

A Memorial was held in the manner of Friends on July 25, 2020.