Laura Lee (Abeloe) Townsend March 2, 1930 – August 21, 2025 Laura Lee (Abeloe) Townsend passed away on August 21, 2025, at the age of 95. She was born on March 2, 1930, in Salinas, California, to Holgar and Laura Abeloe, arriving just 10 minutes after her twin sister, Barbara. Laura grew up on the family farm off San Juan Grade Road and graduated from Salinas High School. She attended Hartnell Junior College before earning a Bachelor’s degree in Art from the University of California, Santa Barbara. While pursuing graduate studies at Stanford University, she met her future husband, Harrison “Harry” Townsend III. Laura and Harry married on January 9, 1954, at All Saints Episcopal Church in Montecito, California, and shared 66 years together. As Harry’s career moved the family through California, Laura devoted herself to raising their four children. In Pine Grove, California, she became a paraeducator and founded her pottery business, Laughing Cat.…