Mary McDonald Laub

Mary McDonald Laub, a pioneering Las Vegas civic leader, philanthropist and devoted volunteer whose service touched generations of Southern Nevada children and families, passed away peacefully on Saturday, September 5, 2026, with family at her side. Mary was 102 years old, having celebrated her birthday less than a month before her passing.

Mary was born on August 9, 1924, in Berkeley, California. She attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she majored in Business Administration. During World War II, an urgent need for teachers led Mary to attend additional summer sessions and earn an elementary teaching credential. She taught in the San Francisco Bay Area, beginning a lifelong commitment to childhood education that would later influence much of her volunteer work in Las Vegas.

In 1947, Mary married William Murray Laub. Mary and Bill arrived permanently in Las Vegas in the summer of 1958 with their five children, including infant twin babies packed in the family station wagon. They crossed the Mojave Desert on the old LA Highway in seven hours in a red and white 1955 Ford Ranch Wagon with no air conditioning and a canvas water bag hanging in front of the radiator. They moved into a guest house on her father-in-law's property in Rancho Circle. Mary Laub had just turned 34 years old. Two years later the family moved into a newly built home of their own in the same neighborhood. That was Mary Laub's home for the next sixty-six years. 

From that home, Mary hosted a friends-and-family Thanksgiving in partnership with her younger sister, Lily Kyle Kimbel for sixty-five years. She displayed paintings from the notable Las Vegas Watercolor Society throughout her home. She hosted political functions, school band pool parties, competitive bridge parties, exchange student dinners, Girl Scout functions, Explorer Scouts meetings and much, much more.

Mary understood that meaningful community service begins by recognizing a need and then working patiently and persistently to meet it. In 1975, she agreed to help organize the Assistance Guild of Las Vegas, now known as Assisting Lives in Las Vegas. Although she initially said she did not have time to become deeply involved, Mary soon became one of the organization’s central leaders. She served as its first president from 1976 through 1978 and helped establish a foundation of service that would continue for decades.

Mary became a life member of the organization on June 1, 1988, but the honor did not mark the end of her service. She became the first chairperson of the organization’s thrift shop, and, for many years, faithfully made its weekly bank deposit every Friday. She also served on numerous committees and regularly welcomed members into her home for meetings, gatherings, and special events. Assisting Lives in Las Vegas honored Mary with the establishment of the Mary Laub Award and the naming of the Mary Laub Boardroom.

Mary’s civic involvement extended far beyond one organization. She was a founder, officer, board member, volunteer, or supporter of organizations serving education, young people, families, the arts, public health, history, and the broader community. These included the Junior League of Las Vegas, Frontier Girl Scout Council, P.E.O. Chapter V, Kappa Alpha Theta, HELP of Southern Nevada, the Southern Nevada Drug Abuse Council, and DISCOVERY Children’s Museum.

Mary served on the boards of the Nevada State Department of Museums and History and the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District. Through her library service, Mary supported the expansion of library facilities in Southern Nevada. Her community service continued with the Nevada Historical Society, Allied Arts Council, Meadows Playhouse Advisory Board, Sun Youth Forum, and Boy Scouts of America. Mary’s leadership also included serving as founding president of the Southern Nevada Drug Abuse Council and leadership with the Voluntary Action Center.

Mary chaired the Southern Nevada Governor’s Inaugural Ball in 1979 and later chaired the Assistance League Regional Council in Las Vegas. Her recipes appeared in several community cookbooks, reflecting another way she shared traditions and connected with others.

Mary maintained a long association with Kappa Alpha Theta and was recognized as a 75-year member. She also belonged to the Mayflower Society for more than five decades. Mary and her husband William Murray Laub were charter members of University Methodist Church, where faith, fellowship, and service formed another important part of their lives.

Mary’s contributions became part of the historical record of Las Vegas. Her life and civic work were preserved through two projects in the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project, recognizing the significance of her role in the development of the community.

Mary leaves a legacy visible in the institutions she helped establish, the organizations she strengthened, the libraries and cultural programs she supported, and the many children encouraged through literacy and youth programs. Her life demonstrated that community institutions are built not only through grand ideas, but through years of dependable work, personal responsibility, kindness, and determined leadership.

Even amid an extraordinary record of public service, Mary will be remembered most personally as a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, neighbor, mentor, and friend Those who knew her best will also remember the simple pleasures she enjoyed, including pansies, dark chocolate, and a bowl of strawberry ice cream.

Mary is survived by her five children: Bill Laub Jr., Andy (Catherine) Laub, Mary Agnes (Les) Boni, and twins David (Sheila) Laub and John (Karen) Laub; seven grandchildren: Russell (Amanda) Laub, Meghan (Dustin) Pefley, Brian (Jet) Laub, Virginia Laub, Heather (Brian) Lemmons, Mike (Linda) Laub and Scott (Kariann) Laub; eight great-grandchildren, including Sierra Cafrelli.

Mary was preceded in death by her husband William Murray Laub, her parents, Charles Slader McDonald and Emma Burleson McDonald, and her siblings, Charles McDonald and Lily Kyle Kimbel.

Memorial service: Saturday, October 3rd, 2026, Desert Spring United Methodist Church, 120 Pavilion Center Dr, Las Vegas NV 89144. Services start at 11:00 A.M.

Memorial gifts: In lieu of flowers please make donations in the name of Mary to Assisting Lives in Las Vegas or to University United Methodist Church.

Mortuary: Palm South Jones Mortuary, 1600 S. Jones Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89146.

The family extends its gratitude to those who supported and cared for Mary and to the many friends and community members who shared in her remarkable life.