Laura Lee Price

Laura Lee Johnson Price
April 10, 1934 - February 13, 2026
Ninety-one years. A love story that endured.
Laura Lee Johnson Price was born in Los Angeles, California, on April 10, 1934, to Verna Lee Aaron and Gayle Columbus Parker. She and her older brother, Bill, were later adopted by George Vinton Johnson, Verna's second husband. Raised in a missionary family through Angelus Temple and the Foursquare Church, Laura's childhood stretched across California, Panama, Argentina, and South America, filled with faith, travel, and a sense of adventure.
When Laura was fifteen, she met the love of her life, Richard "Dick" Price, at church camp. A few years later, Dick joined the Navy and was stationed in Hawaii. The two agreed to look at the moon at the same time each night so they could feel close despite the distance. On January 4,1954, they were married, beginning a fifty-two-year journey that would test and strengthen their faith and love.
Together, they raised three children: Richard Price Jr. (1957), Kimberlee (1959), and Michelle (1968). Laura was a devoted homemaker turned caterer, co-founding Fine and Fancy with her dear friend Linda Kurz, and later running two Ozark Chicken restaurants alongside Dick, first in Orange County and then in Riverside.
Life brought challenges that would break most hearts. The couple endured the loss of two babies, a devastating house fire, their son Rick's near-fatal accident with an 18-wheeler, and six months later the news that their youngest daughter Michelle had bone cancer at eight years old with only a four percent chance of survival. Through it all, their faith prevailed. Their story of courage and unwavering belief touched people around the world, inspiring a book about Michelle's journey called Michelle by Carolyn E. Phillips, appearances on television, a meeting with President George H. W. Bush, and the unforgettable gift of a horse from Wayne Newton. Laura loved celebrating her children's triumphs: Michelle's determination and success in the Paralympics and public speaking, along with Kim's joy in performing, twirling fire batons, riding on floats, and reigning as homecoming princess. Laura truly soaked up the limelight when it shone on her family.
Laura and Dick lived next door to Kim and her husband Bob in Lake Elsinore since 1994, where she cherished time with her grandchildren. In her later years, Kim and Bob lovingly cared for Laura during her long battle with dementia, honoring her lifelong devotion to caring for others.
That was who Laura was at her core: a caregiver. She tenderly guided her grandparents, parents, and husband through their final days. She carried others' burdens with grace and turned every hardship into a reason to gather, laugh, and give thanks. After her parents passed, Laura and Dick traveled the world for six years, creating beautiful memories together before his passing in 2006.
Laura is survived by her daughters, Kimberlee Price Brown and husband Bob, and Michelle Nash and husband Eric; twelve grandchildren; fifteen great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren, with two more on the way. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Dick; her son, Rick Price; and her brother, Bill Johnson.
Laura loved love stories. She lived one that withstood fire, loss, illness, and time. Her faith, joy, and unbreakable spirit left a lasting mark on everyone who knew her.
Services will be held at Loma Vista Memorial Park in Fullerton, California. A graveside service will take place on February 27, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. Gathering of loved ones with lunch and fellowship to follow.
The family warmly invites you to share your memories, stories, and messages of love in the online guestbook, so that her life and legacy may continue to be remembered through the hearts she touched.