She is survived by Roger, her husband of sixty-six years; her sons, Kirk and Craig; her grandchildren, Kyle, Nicole and Gabriel; and many nieces and nephews.
Laura May Hamill was born on May 23, 1936, in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, to Colonel Warren C. Hamill and Fern Baird Hamill. She moved to Lansing with her parents, and her sister Marylu (Hamill) Spencer in 1939. She was Student Council President at Lansing Eastern where she graduated with honors in January 1954, and in 1957 she earned a degree in accounting with honors from Michigan State University.
She met Roger at Michigan State, and they were married at First Presbyterian Church of Lansing on September 8, 1957. They raised their family in Okemos, Michigan where they resided for more than 50 years. Laura and Roger lived at Red Cedar Lodge in Lansing at the time of her passing.
She was a devoted and active member of First Presbyterian Church for more than 75 years, where she was confirmed, married and baptized her children. She served as an Elder, Sunday School teacher, and volunteered for numerous functions and committees. Laura was also an extraordinary community volunteer, recognized for her decades of service to the Sparrow Hospital Auxiliary and the MSU Clinical Center, among other organizations.
Laura was undoubtedly a Spartan. Her fandom included a cross-country student train trip to the Rose Bowl, decades of season football and basketball games, family and office tailgates and plenty of bowl games and Final Fours. More importantly, while Roger was employed by MSU for decades, Laura was always present and supporting the university. In 1998 The MSU Board of Trustees recognized Laura for her dedicated service and established a scholarship in her name.
Laura’s wonderfully full life will be celebrated on Monday, November 20, 2023, in the sanctuary at First Presbyterian Church, 510 West Ottawa, Lansing, Michigan. Visitation will start at 10:00 am and the service at 11:00 am.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to the First Presbyterian Church Endowment Fund or the Laura and Roger Wilkinson Scholarship Fund at Michigan State University.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.greastlansing.com for the Wilkinson family.
