Laura Mae (Gann) Nieman was born on September 6th, 1928 to a poor migrant farm family in Sparkman, Arkansas.  She was born under a cotton picker's truck and was raised with 6 brothers.  Times were hard and nothing was wasted.  Her mother and 7 kids were dragged across Texas, by her father, following crops, sometimes with only a hardscrabble hut for shelter to be shared with skunks, possums, and raccoons. After many years of struggling, her mother refused to follow her husband so the kids could go to school.  The father abandoned them.  Laura was smart and independent.  She would say she didn't have much but whatever she had would be clean and well cared for.  She took life very seriously.  She loved school and discovered music and singing, which would be her passion all her life.  Laura had a beautiful voice, singing at school, church and on the radio.  Her older brother told her never to drink or smoke as it would ruin her voice.  She took his advice to heart and never touched either. (She was rewarded with excellent health and outlived all her siblings).  Laura was forced to drop out of school as a sophomore, going to work to put food on the table. It was at one of those jobs that she met her soul mate and best friend, Harry.  He was never the same.  Within 3 dates he had asked for her hand in marriage.  He was 20 and she, 17.  Laura said each of their lives had been so hard before meeting, that once they were married having each other just made life so wonderful and full of possibilities.  It was a fresh start.  Laura and Harry would work side by side for 61 years.  She worked various jobs and was always dependable and loyal. She was NEVER late.  She worked for 35 years in the business office of Butter Krust Bakery in Corpus Christi, never missing work and always looking for ways to improve efficiency.  During a hurricane she was stranded in the office for 3 days when the city shut down.  She used that time to get work out so the deliveries could be made as soon as the roads opened.  She also worked for 3 years in a bank there, crunching numbers in accounting and balancing books.  She could work an adding machine with either hand. Working with numbers thrilled her.  She was fast and accurate.  She loved all things music, dancing, sewing, cooking, baking, and camping.  She was loving, giving, caring and had a heart as big as Texas. She was grounded by a deep abiding faith.  She especially had a soft spot for poor and underprivileged children, having grown up in poverty herself.  She was always the advocate for the underdog.

Laura was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Harry Henry Nieman, Jr.  She is survived by daughters Gayle Hampel and husband Frank of New Braunfels and Sharon Hollingsworth and husband Doug of Pearland, Texas.

She is survived by grandchildren Stephen Taylor and wife Brandi, Jenni Wuest and husband Travis, Lexi Wuest and husband Brad, and Frankie Hampel and wife Jami.  She is also survived by 11 great grandchildren; Ashley, Abby, Morgan, Wyatt, Ryan, Logan, Clara, Millie, Harris, Frankie IV, and James.

Visitation will be Saturday, September 30th at 10:00 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church, 703 Main Street, Blanco, TX 78606.  Following the visitation the family will proceed to Portland, TX where she will be laid to rest beside her loving husband.