Laura Lee Hopkinson-Garrett passed away on October 28th, a day shy of her 81st birthday. She was born to William and Lillian Hopkinson on October 29th, 1935 in Corcoran, CA. During her childhood there, she began to develop strength and poise in adversity, qualities that would define her life. When she was a young girl, her family home burned down. Laura’s mother piled Laura and her siblings into a wagon — along with a loaf of cornbread that had been baking in the oven — then walked away with the wagon as the house burned to the ground.

At only 17 years old, Laura married Jack Matlock. The two had their first child, Kathy, and moved to Lodi, CA, where they started a photography business. Laura would go on to have three more children: Karen, Kevin (who carries on the family tradition as an accomplished photographer), and Laurie. Laura moved to Humboldt County in 1964, just in time for the catastrophic Christmas flood.

In 1980, Laura began attending the fledgling Full Gospel Tabernacle in Eureka, CA. She would remain a devoted Pentecostal for the rest of her life. Her membership in the church yielded an unexpected blessing by introducing Laura to her second husband, Warren Garrett. A veteran, and Pentecostal pastor, Warren enriched and shared Laura’s life. With her husband, Laura moved to Rio Dell, where she lived until her final days.

We remember Laura fondly for her love of children, which motivated her not only to teach Sunday school year after year, but frequently to spend all week planning the next Sunday’s lesson. With her ever-changing flannel board depicting Bible stories and her enviable treasure box, Laura had a knack of making her classes fun while remaining organized and focused. She passed her talents for teaching and organization down to her daughters, Kathy and Karen.

Laura’s love and considerable energy showed most clearly in her devotion to her youngest daughter, Laurie, who was born with special needs. From the moment Laurie was born, Laura was her biggest fan and fiercest advocate. Laura loved to prepare tea parties and special lunches to attend with Laurie, occasions that Laura cherished until the time she passed.

Though Laura often seemed stoic, she was full of surprises. Those of us lucky enough to see her in action know that Laura played the drums, ukulele, autoharp, and tambourine. She also had a sly sense of humor that will be greatly missed. Her holiday cards, which she would send in envelopes absurdly overstuffed with confetti, always provoked a smile and a laugh, even as we suspected that the joke was on us. Most holidays, in those confetti stuffed envelopes, she’d send you a gift check. More important than the money itself was the amount, which was her way of rating your behavior over the past year. If you got a check two weeks late with “$5” on it, you knew you’d messed up. And, of course, cashing it would be like hanging your F+ report card on the fridge.

Laura was preceded in death by her parents, William and Lillian, her siblings William, Jr. and Susan, her husband Jack, and her grandson Gabe. She is survived by her husband, Warren Garrett; her sister Judy; her children Kathy, Karen, Kevin, and Laurie; her grandchildren Jack, Josh, Kristopher, Kevin, Katherine, and Elizabeth; numerous nieces and nephews; and her great-grandchildren, Dashiell, Basil, and Finnegan.

The family wishes to thank Alice Stribling, Mike O’Neal, and the incredible staff at Timber Ridge for going above and beyond. “Thank you” is not enough for Lisa Sierra, Laurie’s conservator, who has given Laurie the love and security that Laura would have wanted for her.

Per Laura’s request, no public service will be held. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you honor Laura’s memory with an act of kindness toward a child or someone with special needs

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Laura Lee Hopkinson-Garrett’s family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.