Laura Mae Finch Von Hollen, age 97, went to be with her Lord and Savior on January 1, 2023. She was preceded in death by her parents Fabious and Mae Finch; husband Leroy C. Von Hollen; and sister Jean Lincoln. She is survived by her two sons, Kenneth J. Von Hollen and wife Bonnie of Magnolia, Arkansas; Harvey M. Von Hollen and wife Patricia of Midlothian, Texas; grandchildren, Renee Miller and husband Stan, Lance Von Hollen and wife Julie, Tracy Von Hollen and wife Penny, and Eric Von Hollen; great grandchildren, Riley, Gillian, Leia, Emma and Josh; sisters Maxine Morell and Audrey Nossaman; brother Dub Finch; and numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren. Laura was born in Electra, Texas, and later moved where she was raised on a bayou in Harmon, Louisiana. Growing up during the Depression, she and another sister picked cotton for a black farmer, earning 25 cents for every 40 pounds of cotton they picked. Now, that is something you won’t see written in many history books.
After marriage to her childhood sweetheart, she and Leroy became lifelong residents of Shreveport, Louisiana. In recent years Laura had been a resident of Dudneywood Assisted Living in Magnolia, Arkansas.
A devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, Laura was always caring for others. She and her late husband managed an International Student Exchange Program placing as many as 24 foreign students each year with host families in and around the Shreveport area. For several years their home was full of exchange students from various countries to include Japan, Germany, Georgia, and Spain while waiting for a host family. Laura was a great cook and all these exchange students were introduced to some good ole’ Southern style cooking. There were few leftovers! Laura and Leroy hosted several foreign students in their own home, as well, including one special student, Maia Tsulaia whom they hosted for many years until she graduated from college. Maia became less of an exchange student and more like a family member to them for the remainder of their lives.
Laura remained a member of Calvary Baptist Church in Shreveport for more than 70 years. She read her Bible from cover to cover more than 25 times. She leaves behind numerous friends and family that will miss her warm and tender heart, but we all know that she is now with her many other friends and family members in Heaven. What a joyful and glorious reunion that must have been!
Visitation will be held 1:00 PM Tuesday, January 10, 2023, at the Centuries Funeral Home Chapel, 8801 Mansfield Road, Shreveport, Louisiana 71108. Funeral services will be held on January 10, 2023, at 2:00 P.M. at Centuries Funeral Home Chapel with Pastor Chris Young officiating. Pallbearers will be Lance Von Hollen, Tracey Von Hollen, Eric Von Hollen, Robert Finch, Darryl Lincoln, and Wayne Ardeneaux. Burial will follow at Centuries Memorial Cemetery, Shreveport, Louisiana.
