Laura Lou (Raley) Schwartz

On Friday, March 22, 2024, Laura Lou (Raley) Schwartz, loving wife and mother of two children, passed away at the age of 89. She confessed that Jesus Christ was her Lord and Savior and believed His promise of eternal life.

Laura was born September 28, 1934 in Harviell, Missouri to Nellie and Noble Raley. She moved to Biggers, Arkansas as a five year old where she grew up playing basketball for the Buffalos and graduated as best-all-around and valedictorian of her senior class in 1952. She became a registered nurse working in labor and delivery having graduated from the Baptist School of Nursing in Memphis, TN.

On January 24, 1959 she married Robert (Bob) Watson Schwartz. They raised their son, Lee, and daughter, Dana, in wonderful Scenic Hills Subdivision in Memphis, TN. Laura was always competitive and had a commanding personality giving her the nickname “Sarge” by some neighborhood kids as an adult raising her own children. She was very generous with her time and abilities, volunteering as a track coach with Shelby Youth Sports, working as a volunteer school nurse and Girl Scout nurse, and delivering thousands of meals over 30 years to shut-ins through the Meals on Wheels program with MIFA She was a faithful member of St. George’s Episcopal Church. She was a life member of PEO having joined in 1970. For fun she played tennis, played bridge, boated on the Mississippi river with Bob for over 50 years, raced canoes with Bob on the Mississippi, and traveled extensively. She spent time in all 50 states and visited at least 20 different countries. Not bad for a poor girl from Arkansas. She loved every one of her dogs and treated them better than most people. Laura lived relatively independent until spring of 2023 when she broke her leg. She recovered and moved to Stonebridge Assisted Living in Russellville where her son Lee lives. Later in 2023 additional health issues required Laura to transition to Stella Manor Nursing and Rehab. Both places treated her with didgnity and care. Laura was preceded in death by Bob and his parents, her parents Nellie and Noble, her sister Patricia. She is survived by her children Lee and Dana and their spouses, her grandchildren and her great grandchildren, a great group of nieces and nephews and cousins covering a multitude of generations and all branches of the family.

Laura donated her earthly remains to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences to be used for education, teaching, and research. Upon completion of her body's mission with UAMS, she will be cremated and her ashes returned to her family where they will be sprinkled along the river trail at our farm on Archey Creek, a favorite place to go for a walk.