Laurel Ruth Hargrove

Laurel passed away at the age of 74 on March 19, 2021 at her residence, Golden Pond Retirement Community, in Sacramento, CA. She was born on May 7, 1946 in Palo Alto, CA to Herbert Robertson and Ruth Robertson (Donald). She was the youngest of two children.

At a young age the family moved to Lakeport, CA where Laurel joined the 4H Club of Scotts Valley at the age of 10. From the age of 10 to 18 she lived on her family’s small ranch where she raised prize winning sheep and loved riding horses. Laurel attended Clear Lake High School where she was a cheerleader and played the trumpet in the band. She graduated from high school in 1964 and went on to attend Utah State University from 1964 to 1967. In 1968, Laurel met and married her husband of 52 years, Gerald D Hargrove, in Chico, CA. In 1970, her daughter, Leslie, was born. In 1972, the family moved to Sacramento, CA and a couple of months later in 1973, her son Mark was born.

When her children were of school age, Laurel took a part time job in the cafeteria at Sequoia Elementary School. In 1979 she took a position with the Department of Kinesiology at Sacramento State. She was the Woman’s Issue Room attendant (AEA II) and eventually its manager (AEA I), before retiring in 2009. As part of her position, she would support the athletic teams with equipment management and event set-up. Even after retirement, she enjoyed giving back to Sacramento State’s athletics by attending events, volunteering, or giving to fundraising events. She enjoyed visiting with her colleagues and athletes, past and present.

Laurel enjoyed playing and watching sports. When her children were young, she would take them to her adult softball or volleyball games. Her favorite professional sports teams were the A’s, Raiders, and Kings. She loved attending many Sacramento State athletic events as she could to cheer on the Hornets.

She had an outgoing personality and loved to socialize with friends and strangers alike. She loved getting together with friends and family to catch up and play games like bunco and bridge. In her spare time, she enjoyed reading Danielle Steel novels and working on crossword puzzles.

She is survived by husband Gerald Hargrove, her children Leslie Pederson (James) and Mark Hargrove (Cherry Ann), her grandchildren Sarah, Daniele, Cedric, Chloe, Cara, and Ava.

She is predeceased by her parents Herbert and Ruth Robertson, her brother Robert Robertson, and her in-laws Haskell and Una Hargrove.

In-lieu of flowers please make a donation in her name to the Greater Sacramento ALS Association or the Sacramento SPCA.