Laura was born on November 22, 1947, in St. Louis, Missouri, to Carl and Lois Seacat (née Jackson). Moving between Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, and Kansas, she settled with her family in Salinas, California as a teenager.
A gifted student with a passion for language, Laura was an avid reader and life-long learner. She earned a Bachelor's Degree in Anthropology from Cal State Hayward (now CSU East Bay) and a Master's in Library Science from UC Berkeley. She enjoyed her career as a librarian, first in California and then returning to the Midwest to work at the University of Missouri–Rolla (now Missouri S&T).
Pretending she wanted an on-campus job where he worked, she introduced herself to the love of her life by leaving a note with her number on his car. She and Richard Hunter married in 1972, had two children, and built a life in Hayward until the family moved to Missouri in 1990, then back again to California in 2015.
She also unearthed an enduring passion for archaeology and made lifelong friends with her Anthropology cohort in Hayward. She could often be found with a trowel in her back pocket as she walked countless country miles, tempting creek beds to reveal traces of the past with speartips and pot shards. She wasn't interested in arrowheads as trinkets; she gathered artifacts because she could see and sense the human hands that made them. She honored those who created them by taking them into her care.
In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her brother-in-law, Danny Ross. She is survived by her husband, Richard Hunter; her son, Michael Hunter; two granddaughters, Miriam and Claudia Hunter of San Jose, California; and daughter, Alison Hunter of Alameda, California. She also leaves sisters Margery Ross of Marlboro, New Jersey, and Catherine (Alan) Hotz of Bourbon, Missouri. She will be missed by extended family, friends, and animals of all kin.
In lieu of flowers, the family invites contributions in her memory. In recognition of her love of Native American culture, contributions are welcome for the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe and the Osage Nation. To honor the dedicated in-home care workers who supported Laura and her family in her final years, contributions are welcome for Meals on Wheels, the Alzheimer's Association, and the National Council on Aging.