Laurel Gayle Strothman

Laurel Gayle Williams Strothman went home to be with our Lord on May 26, 2025, at MD Anderson in Houston, Texas. In late September 2024, Laurel was diagnosed with small-cell lung cancer that eventually took her to Jesus. Born October 7, 1957, to Lorris W. and Gloria M. Williams, she was the youngest of 3 daughters and a native Texan from Texas City, TX.

After graduating from Texas City High School in 1976, she married and in 1981 she moved to Denver, Colorado, where she got to experience the changing seasons, fall foliage, and learned how to snow ski. Her son Jared James Reardon was born in 1984. After moving to Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1986, she graduated from the International Travel Academy but soon afterwards became a stay-at-home Mom.

After moving to Lexington, KY in 2004, she was infatuated with the Big Blue Nation and became a diehard Kentucky Wildcat fan, loved college sports, and always looked forward to Derby Day.

In 2007, she went back to school and received two associate degrees, made the dean’s list each semester, and carried a 4.0 GPA. She was working for the State of Kentucky in the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation when she met her future husband, Rodney Strothman, on CatholicMatch.com. After dating long distance for a year, she would say she sealed the deal with tickets to Rupp Arena for a KU–UK basketball game in January 2017.

When asked in a job interview what she was passionate about, she replied, “My faith”. She was devoted to her Catholic faith, was a lector for over 15 years, and would offer a blessing to anyone she met. Her faith and service through her church involvement reflected her life of purpose and compassion.

31 years after leaving Texas, Laurel returned to stay in July of 2017. She married Rodney in late July 2018. She loved her job as the office manager of an educational facility in Plano, TX, for a global distribution company. She always had a smile, loved to laugh, and left an impression on everyone she met. After moving back to Texas, she spent many holidays with her sister and brother-in-law at Lake LBJ. She had a lifelong love for her dogs, and most recently, Willow, her standard poodle, gave her great joy and unconditional love. Her cherished moments were spent at home with Rodney and Willow.

Laurel was preceded in death by her father, Lorris, her mother, Gloria, her sister Alice Williams Menefee, and her Brother-in-Law, Rev Dr Eugene Allen.

She is survived by her husband, Rodney Strothman; her sister Brenda Allen; son Jared Reardon, grandchildren Tyler and Michael Reardon, and her daughter-in-law Felicia Rhodes-Cornett. Her niece Melissa (Jeff) Hallett, brothers-in-law, Mike (Marsha) Strothman, Gary Strothman, their children, and grandchildren.

Visitation and a Rosary will be on Thursday evening, June 19th, at Sparkman Funeral Home in Richardson 6 PM to 8 PM. Her funeral service will be Friday, June 20th, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Richardson at 10:30 AM. Interment will be at the Walnut Hill Cemetery in Kingman, Kansas, at a later date.

The family requests memorials in Laurel’s name be made to Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church in Richardson, Texas, in care of Sparkman Funeral Home.

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