Laura Hammond Smith

Laura Hammond Smith, a teacher and mother of five, died unexpectedly on August 27, 2016 at the age of 55. Laura is survived by her mother, Pauline Hammond; her husband, Matt Smith; her children, Matthew, Cara (spouse Patrick), Jamie, Rebekah (spouse James), and EJ; her sisters, Carol Kremer and Mary Smith; and her brothers, John and Paul Hammond. She is predeceased by her father, Philip Hammond. Laura was born in St. Louis, Missouri on November 15, 1960 to Pauline and Philip and was raised on a beautiful lake in Tampa, Florida. She graduated from Florida State University in 1984 with a Bachelors and Masters in Special Education. On May 5, 1984, she married Matt, a meteorologist and her college sweetheart. They started their life together in Tallahassee, bringing their firstborn son, Matthew into the world. Following that, after moving to Huntsville, Alabama, Cara, Jamie, and Rebekah were born. In 2014, she and her husband were called to adopt a handsome little boy from Hong Kong, China: Ezekiel Jesse. Laura devoted her life to her family and her community, having taught kindergarten and preschool special education for nearly 20 years. She dedicated her free time to causes such as orphan care ministries and special needs advocacy. She was a deeply spiritual person who was involved in her church, and she enjoyed gardening, art, reading, and spending days at the beach. She will be dearly missed by her friends, family, and all who knew her. A visitation is scheduled for 11 AM September 3 at Asbury Methodist Church in the Grace Building. The service will follow at 1 PM. Alan Weatherly will officiate. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Lifeline Children’s Services (lifelinechild.org) or National Alliance on Mental Illness (namihuntsville.org)