Laura Gaines Foster

Laura Gaines Foster, beloved mother, grandmother, sister, artist, attorney, and friend, shuffled off this mortal coil after an 80 year life defined by resilience, curiosity, and a fierce devotion to the people she loved. She was strong, smart, opinionated, inquisitive, and she carried a thoughtful presence into every room she entered — the kind of presence that made people feel seen, valued, and worth listening to.

Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she left the city several times — living in West Texas as a child, & later in New York City and England, and in the many chapters of her own reinvention — but Houston was always the place she returned to. It was home, in every sense.

Growing up Laura’s adventurous spirit revealed itself early – whether exploring the attic (where her leg fell through the kitchen ceiling) or exploring the cemetery behind their house (where she impaled her leg on the iron fence), Laura seemed to be fearless, and the call of adventure had a hold on her spirit.

Laura was an artist by passion, someone who saw beauty everywhere and in everyone. In her younger years, she sang and played guitar at Anderson Fair in Montrose. In her later years, she painted in art classes at Atria, finding joy in color, texture, and the simple act of creating. She surrounded herself with artists — as friends, as love, as mirrors of the world she cherished.

Laura thrived in the speech and debate team at Memorial High School, which helped sharpen her skills in spoken argument. When she became an attorney, Laura practiced law with a blend of intellect, empathy, pragmatism, and unconventional generosity. She often accepted anything as payment — a marble bust, pieces of art, objects with stories — and her home became a gallery of gratitude from the people she helped.

Her greatest role, though, was mother. When she was studying for the bar exam, she learned she was pregnant with her daughter, Kate — a miracle she had been told would never happen. She was elated. From that moment on, she poured her heart into motherhood with a devotion that never wavered. If you ever spoke to her about Kate, you knew that Laura was protective, loving, and endlessly proud.

As a grandmother, she was devoted and joyful. She truly DELIGHTED in her grandkids. She cheered at Jack’s swim meets and loved hearing him play the cello. Harper calls Laura her “best grandma,” and the two shared a mischievous bond — including the secret passing of her phone so Harper could play with it (and probably has called and texted many of you on Laura’s behalf). She was especially protective of Harper, advocating fiercely and lovingly for her only granddaughter.

She believed deeply in people — in their stories, their differences, their worth. She spoke to everyone as if they had something to offer, because she truly believed they did. She was curious about culture, about the world, about what made people who they were. She loved to travel, to learn, to connect.

She lived boldly, loved deeply, and collected experiences the way some people collect postcards — with delight, with openness, with a sense of adventure. She certainly lived life on her own terms.

She also lived a life marked by extraordinary challenges, the kind that would have broken most people. She lost most of her possessions in the floods of Hurricane Harvey and started her life over in Katy to be closer to Kate, Davis, Harper, & Jack. Not long after moving, she fell and broke both arms. Then came a devastating car accident in which she shattered her right leg and broke another arm (the accident was NOT her fault, she’d want you to know, despite us all being scared to ride in the car with her behind the wheel). She later was told her heart was failing, followed by a lung cancer diagnosis that she beat (thanks to her team at MD Anderson.) Each time she faced adversity, she fought her way back to the people she loved. Her resilience wasn’t loud or performative — it was steady, stubborn, and rooted in love. Her blue eyes had a sparkle that never dimmed, no matter how much the world threw at her.

Laura leaves behind her only daughter, Kate, her son in law Davis, her grandchildren Harper and Jack, and a lifetime of people who were changed by her kindness, her intelligence, and of course her humor. She also leaves behind her sisters; Julia (husband Dick Persons), Jackie (husband Warren Winters), Sarah Jane, and Mary, and her dear nieces and nephews. She also leaves behind many friends new and old.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Jack and Sarah Gaines, and her older sister Helen.

If there is one thing she would want people to remember, it is that she was curious, thoughtful, intelligent, and above all, a devoted mother to Kate, who will miss her terribly.

In the words of RBG, “I would like to be remembered as someone who used whatever talent she had to do her work to the very best of her ability”.

Her life was not easy, but it was full — full of art, full of love, full of reinvention, full of courage. And the world is better because she was here. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Beloved & Beyond Camp (where Harper attends summer camp) https://belovedandbeyond.org/donate-2/