Laura Hamilton Roach

Laura was born in Russellville, Arkansas, on March 8, 1938, the only child of John L. and Hattie Hamilton. She graduated from Russellville High School and promptly entered Southern Methodist University, from which she graduated in three years. She was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. She also attended the University of Hawaii during the summer of 1957.

Prior to her marriage, Laura worked as a swimwear and sportswear model for Jantzens and as a dietician for the DISD.

Laura married John L. (Jack) Roach in Russellville, Arkansas, on September 19, 1959, and they had three sons. Her husband Jack predeceased her. She is survived by her son John and his wife, Shelley, by her son Larry and his wife, Tracey, by her son Kelly and his wife, Holli, and by seven grandchildren: John P., Sarah, Hunter, Chris, Sam, Lauren and Wynnie, and by her close friend and travel companion, Luaine Jones, of Dallas, and her lifelong friend, Mary Silkensen, of Russellville, Arkansas. She and Jack lived their entire married lives in Dallas.

Laura was an avid traveler. She particularly enjoyed her hunting and fishing trips with her family to South America and Alaska, her trips to Europe, Africa, China, Tibet and the Himalayas with Jack, and her trips to Europe with her mother and her college friends. As late as 2012 she was on a rugged trip in the Amazon rain forest and in 2013 north of the Arctic Circle in Alaska to view the aurora borealis.

In 2005 Laura and Jack received the Sprague Community Service Award, and she was recently honored by the creation of the Laura and Jack Roach Center for Translational Research in Alzheimer’s at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

Some of her happiest and proudest times occurred when all of her sons were playing football, and she was traveling all over the country to see them play.

The family requests that instead of memorials or floral tributes, everyone who knew Laura think of her as the beautiful, intelligent, caring person that she was and how much the “Big Boss” meant to all of us and has done for all of us.

The family expresses its gratitude to Dr. Craig Rubin and his staff at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, to Dr. Cheryl Kinney and her staff, to the staff of Care Unlimited, and to Sally Tallarico and Tully Grice for the care and comfort they have provided to Laura during this difficult period, and to Ligia Zamora and Guillermina Jiminez for their friendship and assistance for so many years.

The final farewell will be private.