Laurie Jean Hanlen, born August 15, 1953, in San Bernardino, California, and died October 24, 2025, in Springfield, Missouri.  Laurie was preceded in death by her father, Joseph, her mother, June, and two brothers, Terry and Kim. She is survived by sister, Kathy Foster (Ron) of Springfield, and sister, Ricki Yeager, of Montana. She is also survived by nieces, nephews and numerous friends, especially Dottie, Mark and Mary Jo.

Laurie taught school for 43 years in various locations throughout Missouri. She taught high school theater, yearbook and newspaper. Her last three assignments were in Rolla, Newburg, and she ended her career after 23 years in Ozark. She spent weekends and holidays with her beloved Kevin Costner.

Act I
To my parents Joe and June Hanlen, who gave me life.
I know it was not always easy being in a military family, especially with five kids, but we made it.

Act II
To my students who gave me purpose, you will never know the impact you have had on my life. I have wanted to be a teacher since I was five years old. I would stand at the blackboard in my makeshift classroom, which was also my bedroom, and play school every day. When it became reality, it was more than just a gift. I realized early on that a teacher was who I was created to be. I know I did not always make the right decisions, but I can promise you that I prayed for every decision I made. You made my days go by quickly. You shared your lives with me, and in that there was born a connection, deeper than just teacher/student, which is why I hold those relationships so close to my heart.

Act III
And to all my friends,
Who made my life worth living.
Especially Dottie and Mark, who I have known for over 40 years, and Mary Jo for over 30 years. They were my care team later in life.  They saw that I made it to all my appointments but mostly took me on outings so I could smell the fresh air.

A memorial mass will be Friday, November 21, 2025 at 9:30 am at St. Agnes Cathedral with burial to follow in Hazelwood Cemetery.  Visitation will be Thursday, November 20, 2025 from 5-7 pm with a Celebration of Life at 6 pm at Gorman Scharpf Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or Care to Learn, 1047 S. Glenstone Avenue, Springfield, MO 65804

For those who are interested, some of us will be viewing the film Wicked: For Good in her memory the afternoon of the 21st. We have chosen to go to Alamo Drafthouse 2:25 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. showings. You can reserve your tickets already and would encourage you to do so as they may sell out fast it being opening day. Hope to see you there.

The Memorial Slideshow can be viewed here .