Laura Lee James Wilson, 92, passed away on Tuesday, May 8, 2018. She was born in Wellsburg, West Virginia, on February 19, 1926 to Roy and Margaret (McCuskey) James. She graduated from Follansbee High School in 1943 and entered nursing school at St. Francis Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA soon after. She earned her diploma in 1945 and her BS in Nursing Education from the University of Pittsburgh in 1953.
Laura Lee married John Owens Wilson on July 19, 1953 and they settled down in Huntington, West Virginia to raise a family. She taught nursing, first at St. Mary’s Hospital and then Marshall University. In 1972, she earned a Masters Degree in Sociology from Marshall University, which earned her assistant professor status and enabled her to teach Bachelors-level courses. In 1980, she earned another Masters, this one in Nursing, from Ohio State University. Soon after, she was appointed to the West Virginia Board of Examiners, where she served for eight years.
Laura Lee and John retired in 1990 to Rock Hill, South Carolina where they lived until 2008. That year they moved to Ocala, Florida to be closer to their children. Laura Lee was a long-time member of the American Association of University Women and also a member of the National Society of the Daughters of the Revolution. She was Episcopalian and a member of the Daughters of the King. She was a skilled seamstress and enjoyed swimming, baking and embroidery.
Laura Lee was predeceased by her husband of 53 years.
She is survived by her sister, Susan Delores Harris; her children, Margaret Wayne Arthur (Ocala), Janet Lee (Gavin) McGrath (Sevenoaks, Kent, UK), John Owens Wilson, Jr. (Largo, Florida), and Laura Lee (Jerry) Sims (Savannah, Georgia); grandchildren, Eileen Dwyer McGrath (Andrew) Carnwath (Edinburgh, Scotland), Megan James McGrath (Phillip) Bailey (London, England), Katharine Elizabeth McGrath (Sevenoaks), Caleb McCuskey Sims and Annabelle Sims (Savannah), and Lisa Marie Wilson (Largo, Florida); and three great-grandchildren.
A memorial service for Laura Lee will be held Wednesday, June 20, 2018 at 12 Noon at Christ the King Anglican Church, at 4440 SE Third Avenue, Ocala, Florida,. Her ashes will be interred in the columbarium of St. John’s Episcopal Church, in Huntington, West Virginia. Donations to Alzheimer’s Association in lieu of flowers are gratefully accepted. Arrangements by Crevasse’s Simple Cremation