Laura Jean Thornton

Laura Jean Thornton, 62 of Baytown, Texas, went to be with our Lord on September 18, 2024. She was born in San Antonio, Texas, to John Norbert Kunert and Clareen O’Quinn on February 27, 1962.  A few years later the family moved to Clear Lake Shores, Texas, where she spent most of her years growing up.  Laura worked as an EKG technician until she had her three children, becoming a homemaker and focusing on her family.

Laura enjoyed being a mother more than anything.  One of her favorite times with her family was traveling to Yellowstone and hiking Jenny Lake.  Family get togethers were always special and enjoyed taking part in bringing wonderful food and snacks to every occasion.  Friends were also her family, and through her love of music, she united them creating lifelong friendships along the way.

Laura had many talents.  She was an amazing interior designer using the most random items together to make it work seamlessly.  That decorating transcended into her wardrobe where she intentionally picked each piece of jewelry to create her perfect look.  She was an artist and musician; but her most noticeable attribute was her love of learning.

She loved learning about all types of cultures, religion, languages, nature, space, cooking, and quantum physics.  She enjoyed sharing what she was learning and having long conversations about her ideas.  She never lost her faith in Christ and gained an even stronger faith through her illness.  It was her faith and relationship with God that gave her comfort in her last days.

She was a daughter, sister, mom, friend, and most of all a sister in Christ.

Laura was preceded in death by her father, John Norbert Kunert, her bonus mom Gail Carrington-Kunert, and nephew Sebastian Timothy Kunert

She is survived by her mom, Clareen O’Quinn; brother Paul Alan Kunert and wife Tanja Kunert; sister, Adrianne Lea Bickham; daughter, Autumn Nicole Dumis; son Jonathon Lynn Thornton and wife Jackie Sachie Thornton; son Joshua Lynn Thornton; son Christopher Lynn Thornton; along nephews and nieces: Paul Kunert Jr, Emmalee Cheshire, Seth Kunert, Corrie Boyd, Matthew Bickham; along with aunts, uncles, great nephews, great nieces, and cousins.

A memorial will be held on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, at 5:00 pm located Crowder Funeral Home 1645 E. Main St., League City, Texas, 77573.

Family will be dining at Red River BBQ following the memorial, everyone is welcome.

8 comments

  1. What a beautiful soul she was. Thankful we crossed paths at a concert in Houston. We kept in contact over the last 12yrs through social media since I’m in Florida, and she was always so positive and reminding me to stay positive. She will be missed by many.
    My condolences to her children, family and all those blessed enough to know her.

    Christa Etheridge
  2. Laura Lorelei Maevey will be missed that is for certain. We shared such magical and imaginative childhood together growing up in Clear Lake Shores. Each day was an adventure for sure.We had horses, dolphins, castles made in the whispering pines and green hills we would sit on and look for four leaf clovers in the spring. The teenage years came with more adventures further a field and some incredible experiences, as adults we shared many special moments with marriages, children and love for music and travel. I will certainly hold a special place for her in my heart and memories. My sincere and heartfelt condolences to her family and all that were fortunate to have known her.

    Shana Haaland
  3. Condolences and prayers to all who knew her….

    Sharan Basham
  4. I’m at a loss for words. The many adventures we had growing up, playing, exploring and laughing, staying up late, stargazing, long deep talks about anything and everything, pondering the universe, was all time well spent. You have a great impact in my life. I will miss you dearly. Their are many there to great you and you are where we are going. You will always be my big sister. love you.

    Paul Kunert
  5. I am so sorry! Miss the old days and wish we could rewind time. We all need to make a point to get together at least once a year. Love and miss all of you!! Let me know if you need anything and give Aunt Clareen a big hug for me 💕💕

    Melanie Mace
  6. My heart is broken with this news. My sincerest condolences to the whole family. I will forever cherish the memories i made with Laura, Adrianne, Autumn, Corrie, Jonathan, and Joshua over the years and am praying for comfort and healing for each of you.

    Matt Hestilow
  7. It was an honor to have met you. You welcomed me into your family with kindness and love. You have left us but your love and wisdom will live on in the family forever. I will carry you in my heart forever.

    Tanja Kunert
  8. When I think about my sister, I think about growing up with her, I’ve never known life without her. Sharing a room with her, we would stay up past bedtime throwing stuff animals at each other in the pitch black dark, never knowing whether we going to get slammed or lightly touched. Always trying to fake asleep if mom walked in. And yes, we had the typical little fights and put tape down to have separation and she would always brag about how she had to walk on my side of the room to get out. I grew up my entire life sharing a room with her and when she got married and moved out…I didn’t know how to be in a room without my sister.

    As kids, Laura, Paul and I would play with plastic animals and Laura would come up with the elaborate story lines and we would record on a cassette tape to listen again later. I just kinda played along…I couldn’t even come up with anything close to Laura’s stories, she probably told me what to say. Her imagination was on at a moment’s notice and for hours on end. She would always play she was a horse with some mystical name, and I went along for the ride…literally, giving me horse back rides all over Clear Lake Shores. It was her world, and we were living in it.

    We shared everything. We talked about everything; we were best friends. If either of us bought a shirt the other one usually wore it first. I honestly don’t think we ever once had a fight about clothes.
    She introduced me to all the music I like. Rod Stewart, Supertramp, Led Zeppelin, John Denver and the Bay City Rollers to name a few. I think Shana and Laura even had their outfits and each of us would be one of them when we would be singing in the living room.

    I always remember her just practicing her handwriting and of course in awe of it’s fanciness. She would doodle handwriting forever perfecting it. Mine is still not even readable.

    I remember Laura and her best childhood friend Shana playing all the time. We would play at “Starwood” which was some kind of trees near the green hills, also known as the triangles. It was a magically place where there was a castle and horses.

    But all being said. She was still a big sister. There were many times when for what ever reason it would just be us kids eating at the dinner table and as I would be finishing my milk, I would notice the pile of peas at the bottom of my glass. Just one of the many little things she did.

    Poor Russel, I can remember riding around with him and acting so silly and crazy and he just went along with it. We loved being crazy and silly in public wherever we were, gosh I miss that so much.

    I remember her apt in Pasadena, she decorated it so meticulous with whales and Victorian décor…how that works, I still don’t know, but it was beautiful.
    She would come to all the family functions dressed to the nines with every little bangle bracelet and other pieces of jewelry chosen to compliment her outfit. Every time and I mean every time you asked her where she got a piece of jewelry or anything she was wearing. Her response was ALWAYS “oh this, I’ve had it forever.” She was a beautiful peacock.

    She was the best aunt to my kids, the best sister to me.

    Her life hasn’t always been easy and most recently has been rather hard, but honestly you would never know it. She would always have a bright light shining from her, she would always be there for me, no matter what she was going through, even with her illness, she wanted me to be ok. She looked and studied a lot of different religions, but in our recent conversations, she confirmed her faith and love for Jesus as her savior. We prayed with her. When I spoke to my daughter after she passed I cried because she died alone, she reminded me, she was not alone, God was with her. What a comfort to know and be reminded we are never alone.

    We were looking for songs for her memorial and Her son Jonathon sent “Only Time” by Enya to me. I decided to look up the meaning and I think it is a great description of her.

    The lyrics to “Only Time” by Enya explore the themes of the passage of time and the fleeting nature of life. The song reflects on how the grand scheme of things, our individual lives and moments are brief, yet deeply meaningful. Key motifs include cherishing the present, acknowledging the uncertainty of the future, and finding solace in the persistence of nature and universe. While the exact interpretations are open to personal reflection, the overall tone is one of introspection, wonder, and an appreciation for the mysteries of existence.

    In summary and to put it simply I was in awe of her, and while I will have to learn to live my life without my sister in this world, I rejoice knowing she surrounded by the love of God walking on streets of gold with our family and her friends who left before us.

    Adrianne

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