Hunter, Lauri
HUNTER, Lauri Sylvia
May 16, 1953 – November 27, 2022
Lauri Sylvia Hunter passed away on November 27, 2022, at the age of 69 after a short illness, surrounded by family and dear friends. Lauri will continue to encourage those who knew her by her beautiful example of triumphing over difficult life circumstances with honesty and strength and a heart filled with the joy and the love of her Savior, Jesus Christ.
Born on May 16, 1953, to Bill and Veronica McCloskey in Detroit, Lauri grew up in a loving family with four younger sisters. She graduated from LSU, married her childhood sweetheart, and gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, Jacob, while they were living in Boston. In May of 1979, Lauri contracted polio from a live polio virus. Within days, she became totally paralyzed from her shoulders down and became confined to a wheelchair. Little did she know her great adventure was just beginning!
As a single mom, Lauri was physically dependent on caregivers for every activity. Lauri moved from Boston to Houston to Atlanta, establishing a pattern; caregivers became friends and friends became caregivers. As they cared for her, she encouraged them. For more than 40 years, Lauri's caregivers from many different countries and many different walks of life expanded her world view; she expanded their view of kindness and patience and compassion. The people who made up Lauri's village did not think about what they did to serve her, but what she did for them. Lauri reached out to others with strength, perseverance, humor, and dignity. Anyone who came into her home became family. "The Lord wove together a beautiful tapestry these 40 years of a multitude of people whose lives would be forever changed because they had known Lauri."
In 1986, Lauri accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Moving to Atlanta to be close to family in 1990, Lauri found a church home at Intown Community Church and continued to thrive. She became a leader within Community Bible Study where she learned to trust God as she studied His Word, and became a fervent prayer warrior, maintaining a list at her bedside of people she prayed for daily.
Lauri was recognized by her beautiful welcoming smile, never meeting a stranger, and being the light in every party. Fierce in scrabble, fluent in Spanish, Lauri was a grace-filled peacemaker who leaned on the strength of her heavenly Father. Her door was always open, her heart was always full. Although she is no longer here with us, Lauri's unconditional love and joyous embrace of life will continue to encourage us. She will always be a part of who we are in Christ.
She is missed by her son Jacob Scot Hunter, his wife Alex Duritza and their two sons, Cash and Teddy. Her sister Lisa Alexander (married to Jack Alexander) and their three children; John (married to Kay – James, Will, Sam and Claire), Kurt (married to Melissa – Jack and Catherine) and Matt (married to Virginia – Charles and Elizabeth). Her sister Joy Drew (married to Jim Drew) and their four children; Sarah Ridenour (married to Charlie – Eleanor and Bennett and pregnant with her third), Julie, Stephen (married to Brittany Dunavan) and Kate. And her sister Nancy Herbert (married to Mark Herbert) and their two children; Amelia and Kylee; her daughter Joanna Allen (married to Brandon) and their six children (Devan, Savannah, Rachel, Joshua, Kate, and Caroline). Her sister Annette McCloskey and her parents William and Veronica predeceased her.
Friends are invited to join us at Westminster Presbyterian Church (1438 Sheridan Road, Atlanta, Georgia 30324) on Friday, January 6th, 2023, at 10:30 AM to honor Lauri and celebrate her beautiful life. The service will also be available to Live Stream on the following link - https://youtu.be/GcuRPRNQtiI
The family requests in lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Lauri's memory to Intown Community Church or Canine Assistants.
Canine Assistants Intown Community Church
3169 Francis Road 2059 Lavista Road
Alpharetta, GA 30004 Atlanta, GA 30329
canineassistants.org https://tinyurl.com/intownforlauri
View the obituary on Legacy.com
Funeral Home Information
H.M. Patterson & Son-Arlington Chapel
173 Allen Road Ne
Sandy Springs, GA
30328
