Mary was born to Andrew & Magdalene Laubmeier on November 30th, 1951, in Phoenix, Arizona. As a child she was loving, creative, and outgoing. She may have been the youngest of 5 children, but she always looked out for her siblings. Mary was a student athlete and looked back at her time as a swimmer fondly. She graduated from Phoenix’s North High School in 1969.
In 1972, a mutual friend introduced Mary to the future love of her life, Jim Raper. After a brief courtship they were married in 1973. During this time, she worked for the City of Phoenix in traffic court and the wastewater management facility. In their spare time they enjoyed traveling around Arizona while building a strong relationship within their marriage and with Jesus.
After spending a few years praying for a baby, Brian finally arrived in 1982. Corey followed just 2 short years later in 1984. Family was everything to Mary, and she loved those boys unconditionally. When the kids started going to school, she began working as an art teacher and cook at Southwest Christian School, while becoming the Children’s Ministry Coordinator at Trinity Bible Church. Mary would finish out her working career in the Glendale Union High School District where she worked in several different positions, including bus driver, attendance secretary, and the athletic director secretary. She loved working in the schools and had a gift for offering love and support to students who needed it the most. Even after her retirement in 2015, she went back a time or two to fill in as a substitute for many schools around the district until 2018.
She was then able to focus on her biggest passion, being Grandma Mary. She spent her last year’s baking, crafting, planning vacations, and soaking up that precious time with her grandbabies.
Mary leaves behind her devoted husband of 49 years, James (Jim) Raper and her two sons, Brian & his wife Amy, and Corey and his wife Stephanie. She was the proud Grandmother of Conor (15), Reese (9), Reagan (4), and James (2). She is also survived by her loving siblings, George Laubmeier and Patricia (Pat) Laubmeier.
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