Nadine Laws

Marylan May Nadine Laws left her earthly home on Sunday, July 15, 2018 surrounded by her family.  She was born on Christmas Day 1925 in Lincoln, Nebraska to the late Louis Lester and Elnora Hayes Laws, one of their 12 children.  Nadine had a free and independent spirit, determined to make her way in the world from a young age.  Upon graduating from Northeast High School in Lincoln, she went on to attend the University of Nebraska and the University of New Mexico, earning a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree.  She was especially skilled in sketching, photography, and drafting.  She then joined the U.S. Navy, serving a total of six and a half years and rising to the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade.  After her military service, Nadine married Thomas A. “Tom” Ladd and they eventually moved to Lexington, Kentucky to raise their 4 children:  Joan Katharine Ladd, Elizabeth Anne Simpson, Burton Thomas “Burt” Ladd, wife Melanie, and Erin Heather Tadeo, husband Cirilo.  (In later years she and Tom divorced but both were active in the life of their family.) She was a homemaker, mother, Girl Scout leader, Cub Scout leader, PTA parent, and she did a lot of other volunteer work, including recording books for the blind.  She was an avid gardener and a meticulous meteorological record-keeper.  She was a great lover of animals, especially any that her children brought home.  During this time, Nadine also earned a Masters in Art Education degree from the University of Kentucky, and she took additional classes at Eastern Kentucky University.  Even up to this past football season, her favorite teams were the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the New England Patriots—she was especially fond of Tom Brady.  In addition to her 4 children, Nadine leaves her legacy with her 2 grandsons Thomas Lee Simpson, wife Allison and Travis Andrew Simpson, wife Amanda, great grandson Thomas Harlan Simpson. In addition to the father of her children, she is survived by 2 brothers Benjamin “Bennie” Laws (MO) and Jackie “Corky” Laws (NC), 2 sisters Jeanine Baskett (ID), Joyce Johnson (NY), and many nieces and nephews.  While Nadine was a forward-thinking and free-spirited woman with many interests and abilities who excelled as a student, artist, and veteran, above all she loved her family, and her family loved her and will miss her greatly.  Nadine chose cremation, and her family will honor her with a Graveside Remembrance Memorial at 2:30 PM on Friday, July 27, 2018 at Camp Nelson National Cemetery with Military Honors.  Hager & Cundiff is honored to serve the Laws/Ladd Family.

Lovingly submitted by Nadine’s children: Kitty, Liz, Erin, and Burt

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