Posted: Wednesday, April 2, 2008 12:00 am
Dec. 26, 1914 - March 18, 2008
Laura Garrard of Corvallis died Tuesday, March 18, in Corvallis. She was 93.
Laura was born to David and Marie Peters and grew up the fourth of five siblings on the family farm near Dallas, Ore. She graduated from Dallas High School in 1933.
Laura's father encouraged her and her sisters to have a way to earn their own livings, so she became a nurse, a calling that she loved. She graduated from Portland's Good Samaritan Hospital nursing program in 1936 and had a long career as a registered nurse. Laura received her bachelor's degree in nursing from Seattle Pacific University in 1947.
Mutual friends introduced her to a tall, handsome sailor from Tacoma, James Garrard, in 1945. They married in a flower-filled garden in Dallas on June 14, 1947. The couple made their first home in Tacoma, where they had two children. They later lived in several locations in Washington and Oregon. Laura spent one summer as a "single mom" on the family farm while Jim traveled to Mexico to research his dissertation. Many loving letters passed between the couple during this separation.
The family settled in Corvallis in 1957 for Jim to begin his career teaching engineering at Oregon State University. Laura continued to work as a nurse after their third child was born in 1957. The family moved to a rustic cabin north of Corvallis in 1959. They spent the next few years remodeling the cabin into the family home. Together Laura and Jim taught English to native Spanish speakers and hosted many students and faculty members from Latin America through OSU's Office of International Education. Jim preceded Laura in death in 2004.
Laura loved to garden and preserve the fruits and vegetables that she grew. She had a very green thumb and her garden thrived, with the help of her children pulling weeds. She kept chickens and baked Jim's favorite angel food cake with their eggs. She always planted a long row of gladiolas and entered the best in the county fair. She also loved to make traditional Dutch Mennonite recipes for special events and holidays.
Survivors include brother David and his wife Susan of Dallas; sister Marianne of Dallas; son Jim and his wife Penny, of Silverton; daughter Mary and her partner Vic Russell of Corvallis; son Bob and his wife Janet, of Brownsville; six grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and a number of nieces and nephews.
A graveside service was held in Dallas.