David was born in Great Falls, Montana on September 5, 1952, to Humberto Laurel, Jr. and Ana Maria Martinez. Humberto’s service in the Air Force took the Laurel family to military bases around the world, from Alaska to Germany, and David enjoyed retelling stories of his time at Kaiserslautern as a teenaged boy. Eventually, they returned home to Laredo, Texas, where David spent many of his formative years, and where he would meet his future wife, his guardian angel, Mary Pat.
He earned degrees from the University of Houston and Texas Southmost College and later earned both a B.A. and M.B.A. from the University of Texas at Brownsville. He began his career as a C.P.A., but he found his calling in teaching. As a Professor of Accounting at South Texas College for 24 years, David’s devotion to his students, both in and out of the classroom, was unparalleled. Many today still cite Professor Laurel’s impact on their lives and attribute their own academic success to his encouragement. He retired from South Texas College in 2022.
Injury and illness were a constant in David’s life, but neither could take credit for David’s demeanor. David was playful and silly. He gave nicknames like “twit” and “turkey” to his children, spoiled the family dogs with table scraps, liked to sing “I’m Henry the VIII, I Am,” and, in the early years of their courtship, tortured his wife with a terrible fashion sense until she thankfully intervened. David “danced to the beat of his own drum,” she would say about him. To know David was to forget that he was constantly in pain because everything else about him was far more interesting.
Each new ailment was just another excuse for David to persevere, and eventually, even a severe stroke in 2010 was no match for his stubbornness. Despite the physical setbacks, his generosity only flourished, and his faith grew. In the last chapter of his life, his unwavering optimism and sacred devotion married in the teachings of St. Padre Pio, an Italian friar and mystic who was known for saying, “Pray, hope, and don’t worry.” David embodied these words until his dying day.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Humberto and Ana Maria. He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Mary Patricia Laurel, whom he loved very much and whose love was returned in her devotion to his care in his final years; his children, Tony Laurel (Stacy), and Mallory Laurel (Jack); his brothers, Ricky and Tito; his sister, Anita; his grandson, Joseph, and a granddaughter on the way.
A Rosary will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 6, 2025, at Porter Loring Mortuary North, 2102 North Loop 1604 East in San Antonio. A Funeral Mass will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, November 7, 2025, at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 20523 Huebner Road, with interment to follow in Holy Cross Cemetery. A reception will follow the burial at Porter Loring Mortuary North.
