Laura Joyce Brones

Laura Joyce Brones

January 22, 1934 - January 27, 2026

It is with deep respect that we announce the passing of Laura Joyce Brones (Lucus) on January 27, 2026.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Donald, and her parents, Anna and Earl Lucus.

If you knew her, you felt welcome, seen, and genuinely glad you'd shown up. Warm hugs were her signature greeting, and in them, you felt safe and comfortable.

This is because our mom/grandmother/sister/aunt genuinely loved people. She loved being part of things. She showed up fully, whether that meant volunteering as a Cub Scout den mother, cheering on her daughter as a ballet mom, serving on the altar guild, or participating in the Lutheran Women's Missionary League. Her faith was steady, expressed through her years of service, loyalty, and care.

She was full of life and style. She loved fashion, loved to shop, and especially loved shoes. Stilettos, in particular, were hard to give up, even when wearing them no longer made sense. She dressed to the nines, for herself and for the moment she was in.

Family was the center of her life, and she came from a large, deeply connected one. Raised by two extraordinary parents who built a loving and involved family that stretched across generations, she helped keep those bonds strong long after many had passed. She was the middle child among sisters she adored, and their closeness remained a constant throughout their entire lives. She was the most social butterfly in a family full of them, and she took that role seriously.

She was married to the love of her life, Don, for 64 years. He adored her. Even as Alzheimer's took hold and illness reshaped his days, the look in his eyes when he saw her never faded. He was smart and silly, and he loved her more than anything else in the world. He preceded her in death by eight years, and it is easy to imagine their reunion as filled with giddy joy over being together again.

In her working years at American Greetings, she formed friendships that lasted the rest of her life. That pattern followed her everywhere. People stayed in her world long term.

She loved to travel and was curious about the wider world, including trips to Guatemala and Venezuela. She also lived in California and Florida while Don was stationed there, adapting easily and finding community wherever life took her. In their younger years, she and Don were known to head out with Don's Iowa family to go dancing at the Surf.

She is survived by her children: Dana (Diane), Derric, and Lori (Terry); her sisters: Joan Strain and Earlene Pine, her grandchildren: Ash, Joel, Jonathan, Paul, Lindsey, Lena, and Tyler; thirteen great-grandchildren; and a wide extended family of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends who remained close and actively involved throughout her life. She is also remembered by her dearest friend, Connie.

To know her was to know you were cared for. She lived with confidence, humor, warmth, and grace.

She showed us that faith can be lived quietly but fully, that style can be an expression of joy rather than vanity, and that love grows when it is given freely and often.

We will miss the hugs. We will miss her presence. We will carry her with us.