Laura (Botelho) St. John, age 97, passed away peacefully on December 26, 2024, at Carleton-Willard Village in Bedford, Massachusetts with her two loving daughters by her side.
Born on November 2, 1927, Laura is the daughter of the late Antonio Botelho and Maria (Lima) Botelho. She is pre-deceased by her husband Joseph St. John and six siblings. Brothers Adelino, Alfred, Antonio, and Manuel “Ernest” Botelho. Sisters Diolinda (Botelho) Simas, and Virginia Botelho. She leaves behind her two daughters, Kathleen M. St. John of Cambridge, MA and Patricia A. St. John of Amesbury, MA and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
Laura was born and raised in Warwick, RI where she lived until 2020 before moving to MA. She worked in the human resources department at Leviton Manufacturing in Warwick for twenty-five years. Throughout her life, she volunteered for many non-profits, including her local church, Catholic Charities and American Cancer Society.
Having grown up during the Great Depression, Laura learned strength, resiliency and resourcefulness. Her outlook on life was to keep moving forward and “just do it.”
A devout Catholic, she was guided by her faith that carried her through life’s inevitable peaks and valleys. She had an endearing personality and was known by all to be a caring friend. She was easy-going with a great sense of humor and loved to have fun.
Laura was very close to her large extended family and looked forward to gathering with them at her mother’s home every Sunday. Christmastime was particularly special. The house would be filled with food, fun, music and laughter and often it was standing room only.
Laura was very creative and had many interests and hobbies, including arts and crafts. She was an extremely talented knitter and made beautiful clothing, blankets and holiday ornaments, many of which were given as gifts or donated. Laura was a jigsaw puzzle enthusiast, loved to read and enjoyed traveling. She was always impeccably dressed and stayed fit by walking every day. She also enjoyed baking and looked forward to picking buckets of wild blueberries every July so she could make batches of her famous muffins.
Laura was loved by many including her caregivers. Kathy and Patty extend their deepest gratitude to the staff of Ross-Worthen at Carleton-Willard Village for their genuine kindness and compassionate care.
Funeral Arrangements are private and have been entrusted to THE URQUHART-MURPHY FUNERAL HOME, 800 Greenwich Avenue, Warwick.
www.murphyfuneralhomes.org
