Elschen Strickler, liana Strickler and Laura Cavedo

Dr. Laura Clayton Cavedo, 48, and her daughters Elschen Aramer Strickler, 12 and Iliana Rose Strickler, 9, of Crozet, Virginia, died Thursday, August 30, 2007.

Laura was born May 16, 1959, in Saudi Arabia, the daughter of Richard T. and Laura Ware Cavedo, and the granddaughter of Aurelia Signora Brent of Brentwood in Nelson County, Virginia.

Laura graduated high school from Chickahominy Academy in 1976 in Henrico County, Virginia. She received her bachelors degree from Florida Atlantic University. She received her doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology from Penn State University. Some of her most deeply held values included the environment, alternative medicine and social justice. These values helped fuel her mission to be the best mother she could be, and the children were a testament to the success of her efforts.

She is survived by her husband, Dale E. Strickler; her father, Richard T. Cavedo; her sister, Kendall C. Maynard; and her nephews, Troy V. Maynard and Prescott R. Maynard.

Elschen, born in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, lived most of her life at Shannon Farm Community in Nelson County. She loved animals, art, music, and bringing her incredible creativity to life in all she did. She lived and breathed horses. She was a member of the United States Pony Club where she had earned her D-2 rating, and competed in the National Pony Club Quiz Rally in Kentucky during the summer. She was an avid and amazingly fast reader, and especially loved fantasy books. She was a skilled practitioner of Aikido and a passionate gardener. She was to start the 7th grade at the Charlottesville Waldorf School this year.

Iliana, born in Charlottesville, Virginia lived all of her life at Shannon Farm Community in Nelson County. She was complex, big hearted and compassionate. She spent hours inventing a cage that her handicapped parakeet could use, rather than chance its ill fate if she returned it to the pet store. She would climb anyone who was willing to act as a living jungle gym, she loved to have her father hold her upside down so she could "walk" on the ceiling, and she wasn't about to allow even the biggest of horses to intimidate her, despite her small size. She had earned her D-2 rating in the pony Club and looked forward to riding first flight with the Oak Ridge Hunt Club. She was a skilled practitioner of Aikido, and had a passion for drawing and building often quite complex things. She was to start the 4th grade at the Charlottesville Waldorf School this year.

The children are survived by their father, Dale E. Strickler; grandfather, Donald W. Strickler; uncle, Thomas C. Strickler; grandfather, Richard T. Cavedo; aunt, Kendall C. Maynard; uncle, Victor K. Maynard; and cousins, Troy V. Maynard and Prescott R. Maynard.

There will be an outdoor memorial service held under a tent, rain or shine at 1p.m. Saturday, September 8, 2007, at Shannon Farm Community, 469 Shannon Farm Lane, Afton VA 22920. You may call 434-263-4097 for directions.

A celebration of their lives will be held at the home of Richard Cavedo at 1573 Kingsland Road, Richmond, Virginia at 6 p.m. Friday, September 7, 2007.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to either the Charlottesville Waldorf School at 120 Waldorf School Road, Charlottesville, VA, 22901. Web:www.cwaldorf.org, or the Natural Resources Defense Council, at 40 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011. Web:www.nrdc.org.