Laura Hamre

Age 83, of St. Paul, went home to the Lord on April 20, 2021.  Laura was born on January 29, 1938, in Little Sauk, MN.  She is preceded in death by her husband, John “Jack”; parents, John and Alice Ecklund; and brother, John Ecklund.

Laura will be dearly missed by her children, Jacqueline, Keith (Lynne), L. John (Tess); grandchildren, Jean (Tom), Bryan (Sarah), Jennifer (Alex), Elizabeth, Emily, Samantha, and Abigail; 9 great-grandchildren; siblings, Richard Ecklund, Ellen Berkness, Margaret Burke, Charles Ecklund, Barbara Swenson, Jeanette Fallon, Robert Ecklund; and many more family members.

Laura received her LPN license at Swedish Hospital in Minneapolis and was a long-time nurse at St. Luke’s hospital and Lakeshore Lutheran Home in Duluth, MN. She then enjoyed being a Winter Texan for 18 years. She loved to travel and enjoyed visiting Mexico, France, Germany, and Norway.  During her retirement, she enjoyed knitting; socializing at church and in her apartment community; and playing cards and games with her grandchildren and then her great-grandchildren.  Laura was always a caregiver, even after her many years as a nurse, she often served the personal and emotional needs of friends and neighbors.   Laura was an amazing baker and her children remember her delicious pies, cinnamon rolls, apple bars, and brownies.  This past year was especially hard, after losing her beloved husband of 60 years in March 2020 and spending the year in almost isolation due to the COVID pandemic.  Laura can now rest and be at peace with Jack in heaven.