SENATE MEMORIAL 20

52nd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2015

INTRODUCED BY

Mary Kay Papen

A MEMORIAL

IN REMEMBRANCE AND CELEBRATING THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF LAURA ELIZABETH MARQUARDT ROACH.

     WHEREAS, Laura Elizabeth Marquardt Roach, a resident of Las Cruces, was born on June 7, 1920 and died on January 1, 2015; and

     WHEREAS, Laura's parents, Gusta Krueger Marquardt and Leonard Marquardt, immigrated from their native Germany in the early 1900s to find a better life in America; and

     WHEREAS, outdoor sports of all kinds were her favorite pastimes, and she was often chosen as team captain, taking pride in being part of winning city championships; and

     WHEREAS, Laura graduated from Washington high school in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, and attended the university of Wisconsin, where she met her future husband, Eugene Henry Roach; and

     WHEREAS, Laura and Eugene married on May 21, 1939 and had two daughters, Betty Jean and Judith Ann; and

     WHEREAS, in June 1950, Laura and her family moved to Los Alamos, where they lived and worked for thirty-three years; and

     WHEREAS, Laura worked as a secretary at Los Alamos national laboratory and later as a substitute teacher for the Los Alamos public school district; and

     WHEREAS, in 1956, Laura received a bachelor of arts degree in elementary education with minors in psychology and business administration, and she received her master's degree from New Mexico highlands university in 1958; and

     WHEREAS, Laura pursued her love of learning throughout her life, receiving numerous grants and awards; and

     WHEREAS, while in Los Alamos, Laura and Eugene were involved in establishing Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran church; and

     WHEREAS, Los Alamos provided an opportunity for Laura to continue her interest in sports, where she learned to ski and play golf and began running again, leading to competing in senior olympics events at the local and national levels; and

     WHEREAS, Laura and Eugene moved to Las Cruces in 1983; and

     WHEREAS, at age ninety-three, Laura competed in the 2013 national senior games with more than twenty-two thousand other seniors, winning medals in three swimming events; and

     WHEREAS, throughout her life, Laura was active in her community and church, receiving many awards and accolades; and

     WHEREAS, Laura was known for her remarkable memory, interest in meeting people and loyalty to the Green Bay Packers; and

     WHEREAS, Laura was preceded in death by her husband of sixty years, Eugene Roach; her daughter, Judith Roach King; her granddaughter, Kari Lindsey; her brothers, Dr. William Marquardt, Edgar Marquardt and Walter Marquardt; and her sister, Alma Marquardt Leiser; and

     WHEREAS, Laura is survived by her daughter, Betty Lindsey, and her husband, Dr. Donald Lindsey; her granddaughter, Kim Snell, and her husband, Russell; her grandson, Gregory Lindsey; her great-grandchildren, Brody Snell, Tatum Joseph and her husband, Zack, Mesa Snell and Summer Snell; her sister, Doris Noeldner, and her husband, Gerhold; her brother, Dale Marquardt, and his wife, Penny; and many nieces and nephews;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that Laura Elizabeth Marquardt Roach be remembered and that the many accomplishments of her life be celebrated; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be transmitted to the family of Laura Elizabeth Marquardt Roach.

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