Laura Gay Marsh, age 61, of Kansas City, MO, passed on May 18, 2019.
Laura was born in Fayetteville, AR, on May 6, 1958 to David and Lois Pruitt. She attended Caruthersville High School and graduated from Chillicothe, MO. She further pursued her education at William Jewel College and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Education, while also raising her four young children. Post-college, she initially taught honor math classes at St. Mary’s High School in Independence, MO. She then began what developed into a flourishing career at DST systems in 1999 as a Software Engineer, remaining with the company until her passing. Her passions later in life were her family, traveling, music, puzzles, playing games, as well as being an avid reader.
Surviving her are Mike Stout, of their home; son, Richie with his wife, Andrea of Kearney, MO; son, Adam with his wife, Randa of Independence, MO; daughter, Christi with her husband, Tim Horn of Excelsior Springs; daughter, Julie with her husband, Shaun Hubble of Kansas City, MO; Tyler Stout and Miryam Hernandez of Los Angeles, CA; sister, Susan with her husband, Steve Clutts of Pierce City, MO; brother, David with his wife, Wanda Pruitt of Pierce City, MO; brother, Charles with his wife, Lenore Pruitt of Joplin, MO; Aunt Marilyn Moon of Kansas City, MO; Aunt Jayne Pruitt of Forty Fort, PA; and Aunt Martha Hanlon of Forty Fort, PA. She leaves behind nine grandchildren, Jace, Sebastian, Roxy, Connor, Roz, Urijah, Carson, Nolan, Liam, and baby girl to be born in August, and numerous extended family members.
She is preceded in death by her parents, David and Lois Pruitt.
Visitation will be held from 10 to 11 a.m., Friday, May 24, 2019 with funeral service following at First United Methodist Church of Excelsior Springs. Burial will be at Crown Hill Cemetery, Excelsior Springs, MO. In lieu of flowers her family suggests memorial contributions to the Excelsior Springs School District, memo Richie Marsh.
Arrangements are in care of Bross & Spidle Funeral Home, Excelsior Springs.
Our Sincere Condolences
My condolences to Laura’s family. She was a wonderful person to work with and we became friends, as we had many common interests. We used to text one another during “This is Us”! I will always remember her sweet smile, especially when she spoke of Mike, her children and grandchildren. She loved her family! Laura was one of the good ones and I will miss her very much.
Mary Espinoza
So sad to hear of Laura’s passing. She was such a sweet lady and a joy to be around at work. My deepest sympathies to her family and friends.
Tammy Gagne
It was my privilege and honor to serve as Laura’s supervisor at DST on two different occasions for a total of over 5 years. As skilled as she was at her job the reason my heart is so heavy right now is because she was also such a genuinely good person. She always had time for everyone whether just to talk or to help with a problem they were having. In the time I knew her she never had a day that didn’t contain at least a few smiles and laughs. I will miss her deeply, but will also love and remember her dearly forever. My thoughts and prayers are with her family in this time of mourning and remembrance.
Dan Doebbeilng
I met Laura in 1999 when she first joined the AFS group. She was the friendly face you had to smile back at walking the halls of DST! She was always helpful and had a laugh to share with you. We shared memories of beach vacations frequently in the break room. She will be missed.
Liz Miles-Cunningham
My deepest condolences to Laura’s family. I worked with Laura for fourteen years at DST and truly enjoyed her wit and benefited many times from her wisdom. She will be deeply missed and remembered fondly.
Kimberly Pukay
I’m so sorry to here of Laura’s passing, she was such a kind and loving lady. My condolences and prayers to the family.
June Marsh
I am so sorry for your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Syndi Pike
I am a childhood friend of Laura’s. She always told me I was her first friend. From mud pies to playing dress up. My deepest sympathy to Laura’s family. She told me her greatest achievement in life was her children and grandchildren. Prayers for you all.
Elizabeth Hardesty
All my love to Laura and family. I work with Laura’s husband Mike and we have become great friends. I’m so sorry she is no longer with you all but know she will be watching over you from heaven.
Amanda Cowan
Condolences to Laura’s family, friends, and DST teammates. I worked with Laura and her team sometimes and considered her a friend. She was such a sweetheart. She always made time, she was very knowledgeable, and she was happy to help. It was easy to make time for her too, because she had a great sense of humor and loved to laugh. She also loved snow-cones and was a nerd of the highest order. I hope I lightened her load a little, like she lightened mine. Godspeed Laura.
Stan Allen
As a friend and co-worker for over 20 years, losing Laura hurts deeply. I will forever treasure my memories of us working together on AFS projects and client trips to SNO, our many conversations about kids and family, her travel adventures, and so much more. It makes me smile when I think about the image of John Travolta always on her monitor at work, that was my landmark when locating Laura after she moved to another floor. Only several days ago we shared texting messages, catching up on things. I will miss her very much. My sincere and heartfelt condolences to Laura’s family, you are in my thoughts and prayers. Rest in heavenly peace my friend.
Inga Seibold
Mike and family,
We are so sorry to hear of Laura’s passing. She was a very sweet person and will be greatly missed by all who knew her. We are sorry that we are unable to be at Laura’s funeral, but we are sending a memorial to the Excelsior School District in her honor. Know that Laura and all of you will be kept in our prayers as you remember and celebrate her life. May God hold all of you in the palm of his hand and give you comfort and peace in the days ahead.
Love and prayers,
Duane and Darlene Lenz
Brenda Jensen
Terri and Rodney Woods
Phyliss and Terry Forbes
This is very sad news for the team here at AFS. We’ve worked with Laura for many years. This included dedicated time she spent in San Antonio sitting with our teams and supporting our work. It was a privilege to work with Laura because of her skill but, more importantly, because of the generous spirit and collaboration she brought to our partnership. We will miss her.
Personally, I will miss her very much. There will be a bit of sadness in my future trips to Kansas City knowing that Laura will not be at the other end with a kind word and a good conversation. My prayers and thoughts are with Laura and her family.
Jack King
My thoughts and deepest condolences to Laura’s family and friends. I greatly admired Laura for living her life and passions.
Her trivia knowledge, Saturday night live quotes and travel stories were highlights in meetings. She made both my career and personal life a better place. She introduced me to internet bird watching, which turned out to be quite a relaxing hobby. I will be planting a honeysuckle in my garden to remember her by. I will never forget her expression when she described how good they smell. Laura was a superb listener and always a good friend. She will forever hold a spot in my heart.
Michelle Rice
All of us at American Funds are saddened by Laura’s passing. She will be forever remembered as one of our strongest and most lasting partners at DST that helped us achieve incredible results in our journey with developing solutions between our organizations. Her commitment to spend significant time with us in our Texas offices and in so many other ways built bonds and friendships that were and still are lasting. To the Marsh family, thank you for sharing your loving and caring soul with us here at American Funds. To the extended DST family that we know is so profoundly impacted as well by Laura’s passing, all of you are equally in our thoughts and prayers.
Paul Feuerborn
I love you my friend and will miss you SO. We had some wonderful times in high school and later in life. I will miss our Monday morning and Friday afternoon emails, discussing our weekend and the plans we had. I never heard you say a negative word about anyone, you were a loyal friend and family member and I will strive for the rest of my life to be more like you. I can’t believe you were taken away from us so soon. Rest in peace, Laura.
Tami Huffman
My deepest sympathy to Laura’s family and many friends. She was a warm and kind-hearted person, and it was a pleasure to work with her on projects at DST. I will remember her sense of humor, her generosity, her landmark John Travolta screen saver, and her ability to laugh during times of stress. She and I shared stories of southeast Missouri, and we would occasionally update each other regarding events there. After we no longer worked on projects together, it was always a welcome and happy surprise to cross paths with her. I will certainly miss her.
Julia Daily
I was very saddened to hear the news about Laura. I worked with her at DST and was there in the late 90s when she joined the AFS group. I always enjoyed talking with her. She was just so genuine and she cared about what I had to say. She will be missed!
Darren Kinney
