Laurel was the first real friend I made when I moved to the Houston area six years ago.  Though I live up in Montgomery, she and I met through one of the numerous groups and gatherings she held at her home. Once she discovered we had many interests in common, she extended the hand of friendship, and I gladly took it. Over these past few years we had many rich and meaningful conversations....and shared lots of laughter. 

It's a 100-mile round trip for me to come to Houston, and I reaped the benefit of Lou and Laurel's gracious hospitality on many occasions. I was in the city a lot, and would often spend the night after a meeting, or a class at the Jung Center.....or before an event or appointment I had early in the day in Houston. It was great to share breakfast and conversation with her and Lou before heading out again. 

During these last couple of years I was involved in some business endeavors closer to home, 
so I rarely made it into Houston. Even so, we kept in touch and had some good conversations about life and death and love. 

I miss her wit and heart and presence in my life. And am grateful for the time we had.

I will never forget the first time I met Laurel. She came into the Urban Harvest office which consisted of a couple of converted classrooms in a former antiquated elementary school building in Houston's Old Sixth Ward. She said she came to volunteer. I learned she had a PhD and had been a business owner but now wanted to donate her time. Of course I was thrilled, our staff at that time consisted of two full time persons with salaries below minimum wage, a few part time workers plus many volunteers. Alas, I thought, how could we possibly keep someone so accomplished and skilled engaged?  Inexplicably and thankfully she stayed, contributing her considerable organizational skills, her time, energy, and resources to Urban Harvest, as volunteer, board member and eventually President. There was no task too menial, too boring, too daunting that she did not tackle. She was committed to the mission and fair and decent to all. Urban Harvest benefitted enormously from her involvement. I admired her and happily considered her a friend.

We had so many loving events when Laurel opened her home for all of us to come together and exchange ideas on worthwhile subjects. Laurel even cut me some lavender from a bush she was growing and it made me sleep better. We all miss her and we say prayers for the future journey of a precious dear soul.

Laurel will always remain with me as the expression of giving for opening your home very regularly for years, no matter what. For friends, acquaintances and complete strangers her generosity was a big ingredient to creating the beautiful, good and true integral sessions that thrived in your home. I enjoyed those evenings and Laurel's thoughts and company regularly from late 2010 to mid 2013. Her generosity was an important part in making those evenings so special, as well as Laurel's courage to speak up when she felt she needed to, and give her unique well reasoned thoughts. Those evenings can never be taken away. I feel grateful to have known Laurel and admire her for being her genuine wonderful self.

Laurel and I met thru Ohara Ikebana and we have been friends ever since. She would come to my home to learn and sometimes with Natasha and we had fun learning Ikebana together. She was a very friendly, helpful person who was respected by all and had a passion and enthusiasm for things she liked. She will be missed by all who knew her.

Laurel's friendship and contribution to Urban Harvest and the home gardening movement has made its mark through inspiration and dedication. All of us for whom this matters will miss her a lot. I also appreciate your support for all of her work in the endeavor to create a healthier community by learning how to grow fresh fruits and vegetables.

Laurel Smith was one of my dearest heroes. She gave all of herself to promote ideals that she believed in and thought worthy of sharing. She was brave, determined to share what she knew, strong of will and soft in conversation. She created one of her legacies, Houston Urban Gardeners, as a focal point for area gardeners to share stories and information, and as a much needed gathering place. I remember Laurel for her days as a volunteer with Urban Harvest, when she was discovering health, and gave of herself fully. I will miss her smile.

Laurel was full of joy and light. Some of my best memories are when she stopped and noticed the small things in lifealways accompanied with a smile and a isn't that AWESOME? She was truly a memorable person, something we all hope to achieve in some small measure in our lives. She helped me see flowers differently and to never, ever just plop the bunch of flowers from the store in a vasealways stop and look at each one, appreciate how it is different from the rest and see how it can fit into what ever you are contemplating. I will miss her greatly but know that she has had a lasting impression on me thus will live on through my actions and thoughts.

Laurel was a very special and unique person; She gave so much and will not easily be forgotten. Just knowing that she was in the room gave a sense of comfort to me.

My sister, Laurel

Laurel was one year older than I. We shared a bedroom during our childhood days. When we were very young we woke up early every morning and rushed outside to put on our roller skates and skate up and down the sidewalk of our block.  Oh, such carefree days.

She was the ultimate activity director, and I went along with whatever her active mind came up with. We once made colorful Kleenex tissue flowers and sold them door-to-door, hoping to make a substantial profit so that we could buy trinkets at the dime store. Alas, we didn't get rich on that endeavor. 

Laurel would boldly walk to another child's house on our street and ask to play, and I followed. One time Laurel heard that a boy in her class who lived a few blocks away had a TV, and she was curious to see it, since we didn't have one. With single-minded determination she, with me following, walked the distance to ask if we could watch his TV. He came to the door, said Okay, not really knowing who we were, and we came in, sat down and watched westerns.

When Laurel was seven our dad built a kid-sized Jeep, which he painted Army Green. It had a battery, gear shift, headlights, and a buzzer for a horn. We could drive the jeep on the sidewalk using the gear shift, going forward or backward. The Jeep had a flat surface, and we could both sit in it. Laurel was good about taking turns with me driving the Jeep. When neighbor kids came over she let them drive it at times. This Jeep lasted throughout the years, with our brother, Tom, and sister, Janet, getting enjoyment from it.

Laurel's best friend in elementary school was Patty Reid, who we played with often. I tagged along because there was always something to do in Patty's large backyard. One summer we went camping with Patty's family at Pinecrest Lake in the mountains, and had a lot of fun. We swam in the cold lake, and at night we sang silly camp songs sitting around the campfire. I'm sure Laurel had fond memories of those times. 

When Tom and Janet were young Dad thought it would be an adventure to take the whole family camping every year at Emerald Bay in Lake Tahoe. Mom would plan the meals, and we insisted that she bake chocolate chip cookies before the trip.
Dad got excited setting up camp with a bright lantern for night which he rigged up to run on a battery. We kids ran around and went on group hikes with the Ranger. We spent time lying on the hot sandy beach, then Laurel and I would run quickly into the ice cold Lake Tahoe water for a swim. We slept like sardines in a mediumsized tent, and delighted in being in the great outdoors.

Laurel always strived for good grades in school, and studied constantly. She read textbooks, researched in the public library, and wrote school papers. Her grades were, you guessed it, all A's. She started violin lessons in elementary school, then took private lessons on the viola and was soon appointed the First Violist in the high school orchestra. In high school she joined different after-school clubs every year, proving that she could multitask like a pro.

After high school Laurel was accepted to the University of California at Berkeley. She moved into a co-op and loved the campus life. She graduated and then continued on to earn her PhD. 

Laurel had a real enthusiasm for life and a desire to learn about everything around her. I learned from her to be independent and shape my life in positive directions. She will be greatly missed by me, and I will always treasure the special years we had together.

If I could think of one major theme in my mother's life, it would be the quest for self-awareness  to be conscious of why and what motivates you - and through understanding this, change your actions, your relationships, and, in a small way, the world for the better.  In this sense, my mother was one of the most thoughtful people I have ever known.  Not that she was faultless, but she recognized her faults (along with her strengths) and strove to overcome them as best she could.  Nearly her whole life, she kept journals - I think partly as a record for herself and a path to self-awareness, but also as a way to live in the moment and appreciate the small details of life.  I have only read excerpts from the journals (such as a travel diary she kept from our trip to China) but it is fascinating and something I am so glad she had the discipline to create.

In my eyes, one of the most admirable things about my mother was her motivation and her organization.  Each day she made goals for herself, small and large, and worked in increments, if needed, to achieve them.  Because of this she was able to accomplish many great things throughout her life.  I am extremely proud of her achievements in the world and the impact she made.  Even while raising three children as a single parent she managed to maintain a successful career and several times was able to reinvent herself and move into completely new fields.  And when she was ill and fatigued from fighting the three different cancers she suffered with, her motivation and drive allowed her to keep going up until her body gave out.  

My mother was a scientist her whole life long. When she was young she achieved a Ph.D. and became a professor at a time when  few women did.  But even when her career took her in a new path, she remained curious about the world and understanding what makes things work in the largest sense.  She constantly attended lectures and workshops on a wide variety of subjects, from consciousness to ikebana, and often encouraged us to attend.  This not only makes for fascinating dinner party conversations, but also instilled in me the desire to always keep learning and a fascination with the complexity of the world.  

My mother loved beautiful things and shared her love of art and beauty with her family.  Those of you who know her well, will know that she always made sure a beautiful flower arrangement greeted guests at the door (probably with more throughout the house).  I am so appreciative of all the places she took me and my siblings around the world and the cultural events we got to experience with her: from riding a sea plane in the Caribbean, to meeting the mayor of Beijing, to cocktails in the Medici chapel.  She also encouraged us to travel and gave her children the respect and permission to do things that other parents would disbelieve.  Instead of back-firing, this instilled in me the true belief that there is very little in this world that I cannot achieve, if I am only willing to work for it.     

My mother's hobbies were extensive and create an amazing list.  She was an inventive chef, coming up with some amazing successes (soufflés and sourdough from her own life-long treasured starter) and some fails (seaweed casserole which we abhorred as children).  She also trained at yoga, even becoming a certified yoga teacher, and taught us poses as children.  She practiced Chinese brush painting and calligraphy and penmanship - she prided herself on her beautiful handwriting.  Growing up, we had art night once a week with a variety of materials.  The Fimo nights where we created sea slugs with modeling clay and miniature foods for my dollhouse were my favorite.  Her house is filled with things she made: pottery to paintings, and miniature gardens to paper cutouts.       

My mother was a great follower of the Dali Lama.  While she could be judgmental (as can I),  she believed strongly in the great goodness that exists in the world and all the amazing potential that exists around us all.  Whenever I was upset and called her to talk, she was able to help me see my problems in a new light and find a way to work through them, or maybe just to see the other side of the issue and in doing so let go of my anger.  I will miss her guidance in so many ways, but I will forever admire, appreciate, and love her.  She was a tough act to follow, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Natasha Loeblich

Laurel will always remain with me as the expression of giving - for opening up her and Louis's home regularly, no matter what. For friends, acquaintances and complete strangers - her generosity was a big ingredient to creating the beautiful, good and true integral sessions that happened for so long at South Blvd. Her generosity was an important part in making those evenings so special, as well as Laurel's courage to speak up when she felt she needed to. Those evenings can never be taken away. Thank you Laurel for being you.

Rest in peace Laurel, you will be missed by all who met you.  I will remember your insect collection and lessons learned by being in your presence.  Prayers to your family. all my best, Mary Jane

I've been working with her on HUG programs, Transition Houston & more for years. Yet, reading this, there so much I never knew.

Laurel was one of the most genuinely kind and caring people I have had the honor to know.  She was positive and cheerful in her approach yet solidly grounded and practical. Her many and varied interests from Japanese flower arrangement to exotic travel vacations led to stimulating conversation and sparked new ideas. She was always available when needed and was always an encouraging and supportive friend. Her beautiful, prolific garden was a source of wonderment to me. She was delighted to share her extensive knowledge of plants and gardening and her helpful tips saved many a plant in my garden. Her abilities in this area were truly remarkable. I admired many things about Laurel, her intelligence and wit, her honest and forthright manner, and her dignity and courage in the face of hardship.  I will always treasure the many good memories of Laurel from our decades of friendship and I will miss her.

Laurel was the woman that called me and asked, "will you help start a vegetable garden club?".  I had only known her through her cats - helping out with a procedure that the high school  cat sitter couldn't do. She was passion, beauty and very focused (stubborn) in her ideals - there will never be another....our loss.  I am so very sorry.

OBITUARY

Laurel Ann Smith

20 August, 1943 – 23 June, 2016

Earthman Bellaire Funeral Home

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