Lauri Helen Hobus

Lauri Hobus, 59, of Gettysburg, South Dakota, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, died on Monday, April 24, 2017, following a brief illness.

She was born in Gettysburg, SD, on March 12, 1958, to Maurice E. and Ruth (Nold) Hobus. Lauri attended Pleasant View and Lebanon Schools, and graduated from Hoven High School in 1976. She graduated from South Dakota State University in 1980 with a degree in animal science (business option). Following graduation, she continued to work for the family business near Lebanon, Hobus Farms. After that, she lived briefly near Aberdeen working as a dispatcher for the Aberdeen Police Department, and then moved to Rapid City. During her years in Rapid City, she worked for Merillat Industries and as a jobs counselor for the Rapid City Job Service office before moving to Citibank as a project manager in the Rapid City office. She helped care for her mother during Ruth’s final illness, and then helped care for her sister Julie in a subsequent illness.

Lauri suffered a disabling cerebellar stroke in 2006 that left her unable to work, but she was able to continue volunteer work from her home. She coordinated troop support efforts and sent care packages to deployed U.S. military members through Books for Soldiers and other means throughout the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars. Lauri organized everything from pancake breakfast feeds for Chinook pilots to sheets for forward hospitals, fans and pillows for Marines on the far borders, and Christmas trees with ornaments from all 50 states for large stationary units. In 2010, the United States Air Force recognized her accomplishments by awarding her the Air Force’s annual Fisher Award for Distinguished Civilian Humanitarian Service.

Lauri loved flowers, cooking for others, anything purple, and most of all, her four-legged children, aka “dogs”.

She is survived by her sister, Julie R. Hobus, of Albuquerque and her beloved dogs, Jake and Rupert. She was preceded in death by her parents and by a long line of loyal canines: Rex, Herman, Dixie, Muffie, Fred, Charlie Brown, and Maggie.

At Lauri’s request, her ashes will be interred in the Sunset Memorial Park pet cemetery, joining her mischievous Charlie Brown and Maggie. A second urn will be interred with her dog Fred in South Dakota. A graveside service will be held on Friday, May 5, 2017, at 2:00 p.m. at Sunset Memorial Park in Albuquerque. A South Dakota memorial service will be held in Gettysburg this summer.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations should be directed to Lauri’s favorite charity, Paws and Stripes, pawsandstripes.org, a non-profit that pairs and trains shelter dogs and veterans in need of service dogs. Donations may also be made to the military support charity of your choice.

Please visit our online guest book for Lauri at www.FrenchFunerals.com.

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