Laura B. Iskra

Beloved mother, sister, grandmother, and great grandmother Laura B. Iskra of Circleville and formerly of Wickliffe, Ohio was born to life on February 17, 1938, in Brookville, Pennsylvania and born to eternal life on March 11, 2025 at the age of 87 leaving behind a legacy of love, kindness, and devotion. She was preceded in death by her loving husband of 54 years, Frank J. Iskra; her parents Herman and Mary (nee-Debevec) Bianco; and her great-grandson Nathan Ortiz.

Laura was a long-time parishioner of St. Augustine Catholic Church, where her faith inspired her to live a life of purpose and compassion. She was a fan of soft rock, reading, baking Thief Boys (which became an annual tradition), and decorating cakes, which brought her joy and allowed her to express her creativity. Laura was also skilled with a sewing machine and enjoyed keeping the books on finances, demonstrating her resourcefulness and attention to detail. Her love for grammar was evident in her enthusiasm for correcting friends and family, and she took great pride in helping others communicate effectively. Laura's greatest delight was spending time with her loved ones, particularly her grandkids, whom she took on summer trips creating lifelong memories. Her grandkids anxiously anticipated receiving birthday gifts due to her witty creativity for somehow including cash within sealed boxes of cereal and bubble packing or hiding it under the cheese on pizza.

She graduated from Kane High School in Kane, Pennsylvania in 1954 and then attended business school in Jamestown, New York for one year. Laura selflessly put her academics and career on hold for 15 years to be a devoted homemaker, demonstrating her unwavering commitment to her family. She later worked as an Administrative Secretary at TRW for 22 years. While working at TRW, Laura met her special friend Elaine Drake Broski. Even in retirement, Laura continued to serve working as a secretary at a local community college and another church, and assisting a friend with proofreading a book. She worked several years as a secretary at Christ Presbyterian Church in Chesterland, Ohio where she met more special friends known as “The Grannies” (Gail Rye, Sue Congdon, Pat Gedeon, Linda Kemp, and Judith Schwed).

Laura is survived by sister Helen McKenna of Fort Worth, Texas; sister-in-law Jenny Raspet of Virginia; daughters Mary (Leo) Smith of Willowick, Ohio, Linda (Tim) Stevenson of Circleville, Ohio, Beth (Rob) Lee of Fort Worth, Texas, and Laurie Matteson of Rochester, New York; son, Frank (Stephanie) Iskra of Bloomington, Illinois; grandchildren Corey (Anna) Stevenson, Sam Stevenson, Maddie Stevenson, Kyle (Abby) Hawkins, Lucas Hawkins, Reilly Hawkins, Shaleigh Hawkins, Lauren Iskra, Ryan Iskra, Kate Iskra, Cody Matteson, Jalen Matteson, Marissa Matteson, RJ Ortiz; great-grandchildren Chloe Hawkins, Oliver Hawkins, Briana Shuba , Isabella Ortiz, John Stevenson; and many nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, March 22, 2025, at DeJohn Funeral Home on Chardon Rd in Willoughby Hills, Ohio, with visiting hours from 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm immediately followed by a Christian service at 3:00 pm. Private interment will be at Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Laura's memory to St. Augustine Catholic Church, 2486 W 14th St, Cleveland, OH 44113, a testament to her enduring faith and generosity.