Laura Gilmore

Laura Gilmore, 86, died Saturday, Jan. 8, 2011.

“I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (2 TIMOTHY 4:7-8).

She no longer sees through “a veil darkly,” she sees her LORD face to face in His Heavenly Kingdom. Back on April 18, she told her daughter, “I am ready for the Promised Land!” Indeed, that is where she is now, and she can truly feel His loving embraces and audibly hear His tender words, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your LORD.” (MATTHEW 25:21). Her days of walking and talking by faith are all behind her. While on this earth, she loved the Lord Jesus Christ, and she trusted Him as Savior. She trusted Him, as well, to live out all the days that were ordained for her before even one of them came to be. (PSALM 139:16). The Bible says in JAMES 1:12, “Blessed is the man who is patient under trial and under temptation, for when he has stood the test and been approved, he will receive the victor’s crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him.” She now walks God’s wondrous streets of gold with a lovely jeweled crown resting on her brow. PSALM 116:15 declares, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints.” Laura was precious not only to God, The Father, but also to each of us here who were blessed to share her love of life.

She was a faithful, loving, patient and devoted wife to Jerry Gilmore Sr. In his personal journals, he called her, “The Love of My Life.” They shared almost 60 years together as husband and wife; they were 2 months shy of their 60th wedding anniversary when Jerry went home to be with the LORD in 2008. Laura was the virtuous wife to Jerry like the woman lovingly described in Proverbs 31, “Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life… Strength and honor are her clothing.”

Laura was a servant to her family, and she sacrificed her own dreams to help them carve out their best possible lives. She was a mother who put her children and their best interests above her own needs and desires. We, her children, are very thankful to the LORD for allowing us to spend our lives with a loving and giving mother. She especially enjoyed having her grandchildren around her. She was most happy having them spend numerous days together during the holidays and the summer break. Unfortunately, Jerry was not quite as exuberant and patient about those extended stay-overs. By the time her oldest grandchildren in Louisiana were grown, Laura was quite persistent in specifically asking them to give her “great” grandchildren that she could hold and spoil. When Scott and Kelly finally had children of their own, she was ecstatic.

She loved reading as a young girl and more so as an adult, especially mysteries. She was fortunate that her father, Albert Smith, made absolutely sure his children would receive the education he never had the opportunity to get. He built a one-room schoolhouse on his property on the Bayou Shafer, and he boarded a teacher in their home. As a matter of fact, Laura had to give up her room for the teacher. However, learning to read offered Laura adventure and a future. Later in life, she proudly boasted how “this shy, hometown girl” courageously departed Bayou Shafer and the Morgan City area and moved to the big city of New Orleans to work. She was later transferred to work in one of the world’s largest cities, New York City, where she remained until the soldiers returned home looking for jobs at the end of WWII.

She was a self-taught and highly gifted seamstress making numerous wedding gowns, fitted suits for men and women, children’s and baby’s clothes, bridesmaid’s dresses and formals for her daughter and others, draperies and furniture upholstery. She was skilled at crocheting, too, making elaborate Afghans. Laura was a superb cook much like her mother, Anna Lee, and her sister, Alberta. She loved trying new recipes because, “I get tired of eating the same old dishes.” She learned the art of cake baking and decoration back in the late 60’s, and subsequently made special event cakes as gifts or for sale. More importantly, she blessed three of her sons by baking and designing the most beautifully tiered wedding cakes. Finally, Laura was a gardener with special abilities. Throughout her life, she adored working in the yard and planting all manner of flowers and plants whenever she had the extra time to invest. Many years ago, she had filled an entire vacant bedroom with various types of African Violets. She happily cared for them.

Above all of these things though, Laura was A Prayer Warrior. She spent countless hours and nights reading the Word of God and praying for her family, her friends, her brothers and sisters in Christ, her pastors, her neighbors and her country. She figured if the LORD woke her up in the middle of the night, it had to be for a good reason. So, she would get up, grab her pen and notebook, and begin praying for people’s needs and writing down Scriptures that God had showed her. She would journal her thoughts and prayers, and one journal entry dated February 24, 5:46 AM, stated, “How awesome it is that I am seeing because someone who is no longer in this world has given me their cornea. I pray and thank God for their family’s salvation, but not as much as I should. Thank God for people like them. I hope I have something to give when I go home to be with my Father in heaven. I pray that God will give me a new heart, eyes, liver, kidneys, etc., so that I can help someone like those who helped me.” By spending time with God in the late nights and early mornings, Laura armed herself for spiritual battles using the Word of God as her sword. She memorized Scriptures during those times, and whenever she or someone else was sick, she ALWAYS spoke those Scriptures out loud. She declared the following verse many, many times, “For the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (HEBREWS 4:12). Her all-out favorite verse though that she shared with everyone who needed to hear it was, “Greater is He (Jesus) who is in you than he (the devil) who is in the world.” (I JOHN 4:4). Whenever others needed encouragement, she would speak the Word of God to them knowing that, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” (PROVERBS 25:11).

She is survived by her daughter, Karen Gilmore; sons, Robin (Kay) and Kevin (Nita) Gilmore; nine grandchildren, Jerrel Buley, Kelly Fanguy, and Scott, Jared, Amelia, Damon, Hannah, Kendall and Adam Gilmore; and four great-grandchildren, Hunter and Dalton Buley, Julia Gilmore, and Logan Fanguy.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Albert and Anna Lee Smith; brother, Sam Smith; sister, Alberta Crappell; husband, Jerry Gilmore Sr.; stepson, Jerry Gilmore Jr.; step-grandson, David Buley; her first-born son, Craig (Margaret) Gilmore; and countless relatives eager to greet her into God’s marvelous kingdom, as well as dear friends too.

Her pallbearers will be her grandsons, Jerrel Buley, Scott Gilmore, Jared Gilmore, Damon Gilmore, Kendall Gilmore, and Adam Gilmore, and her granddaughter’s husband, Steven Fanguy.

The family certainly welcomes flowers for those wishing to send them, however, others desiring to make donations in her memory or honor, are encouraged to consider the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Special Olympics of Louisiana, or Heart of Hospice in Lafayette, LA.

She is buried at Berwick Cemetery.

(Hargrave)

Laura Gilmore