Laura Lee Gabbard

Laura Lee Gabbard age 79 of Vega, passed from this life on March 14, 2026, at her home surrounded by her devoted husband, Robert.

The funeral will be held on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at 10:00 AM at Boys Ranch Chapel in Boys Ranch, Texas.

Laura was born in Amarillo on August 24, 1946, to her parents, Loren and Bessie Hammer Jordan.

Around 1983, she joined a friend to visit her boyfriend at the Wildorado Feedlot, where she met Robert “Bob” Gabbard. The two didn’t waste any time—they went on three dates and were married on April 14, 1983, in Las Vegas, Nevada. That whirlwind romance began an adventure that would last the next forty-two years.

Laura and Bob loved to dance and spent many nights on the dance floor together. When Laura’s health began to fail, they enjoyed strolling through the flea market in Amarillo and dining at some of her favorite places—Calico County, The Homeplate Diner, or the Golden Light on Sixth—before heading back home to Vega.

Laura worked at Vega High School for over eight years as a custodian before transferring to Bushland Elementary, where she worked for the next two years until her health declined. After retiring, she took great pride in caring for the couple’s beloved four-legged kids.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

Laura is survived by her devoted husband, Bob; her son, Robert Lawler and his wife Valorie of Channing; her sister, Rosie Mercer and her husband Ted of Anadarko, Oklahoma; and her faithful four-legged companions, Stormie, Millie, and Sissy.

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