Leslie Anne Parks Laurendine, 53, died unexpectedly on Tuesday, September 21, 2021, at her home in Brownsboro.
She was born in Huntsville, Alabama, on April 8, 1968, to William and Peggy Calder Parks, the second of their four children. From the start, Leslie brought laughter and joy to her family with her independent and exuberant spirit. She graduated from Huntsville High School in 1986 where she excelled as a student and a natural leader in Student Council and other activities. She could always be counted on for mischief, laughs, and fun at any gathering. Throughout her life, Leslie would be admired for her honesty, courage, and resiliency.
In 1986, Leslie embarked upon her lifelong career as a travel agent with Sterling Travel, a fledgling young teenager who would eventually become known and beloved as THE Queen of Travel – or simply Queen would do. The tickets she booked and the logistics of moving people around the globe cannot measure her 35-year career. Rather, it is the story of the path God laid before her to use her unique gifts and make a difference in the lives of others – and how she did that to the fullest. She enabled thousands to experience the world, ensured that the grieving were reunited with their families, rescued people from imminent harm when conflicts or hurricanes threatened and they needed to get home. If the flights were sold out and hotels were full, when it couldn’t be done – Leslie did it. Letting someone down was not an option on her watch.
To friends and family, Leslie was the greatest ally to have in our corners. She was the first to show up with chicken and dumplings or pound cake when you were sick, or to drop off flowers when she knew you were having a bad day. She made time to put the card in the mail, send the “just thinking of you” text, and stay up all night as a shoulder to cry on. Without being asked, she would appear by your side in your darkest hours, take your hand, and when she assured you it would all be ok, you believed it because she had your back. She went about doing good at every opportunity, privately and generously ministering to others with her time and resources. Leslie’s was indeed a life well lived.
Leslie leaves behind her beloved husband of twelve years, Chase Laurendine Jr.; children, Jake Brasfield, Chase Laurendine III, and Riley Laurendine; mother, Margaret “Peggy” Parks; and siblings, Tracey Parks Farr, Steven Parks and wife Dinah, and Michael Parks and wife Angel. Leslie adored her aunts Lynn Calder Cieutat and Peggy Parks Lumpkin and was the “Favorite Aunt” to her nieces and nephews. She leaves behind countless other family and friends who grieve her absence, but through Christ’s great love we are comforted to know she is reunited with those gone before, especially her father, her “stepson”, Andy Brasfield, her niece, Abbey Farr, and her Granny’ Sally Calder.
Leslie, you are so loved, so very missed, and you made a difference far beyond what you ever realized or imagined. We praise God that this separation from you is not the end, and we can’t wait to see your dazzling smile and feel your hug again someday. Your loving spirit lives on among us, and your legacy here will never be forgotten.
Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, September 28, 2021, at Good Shepherd United Methodist Church, with a Celebration of Life immediately following at the church. The family will hold a private burial service at another time.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in her memory to the Greater Huntsville Humane Society.
