Obituary of Laura Beth McGaffee
Mrs. Laura Beth (nee Mangas) McGaffee passed away at the age of 59 on Monday, June 24, 2024, at her home, surrounded by her loving family.
Laura was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on August 20, 1964, the daughter of the late Janet (nee Stacy) Mangas and William Mangas. She moved to the Chicago/Cicero area 42 years ago, and then moved to the Shorewood/Minooka area 20 years ago.
Laura worked in logistics and administration for Quantum Foods, which became Mistica Foods for over 30 years. Laura's relationship with Ed Blecha began prior to Quantum Foods and continued throughout her career until she stopped working just this past April. Laura appreciated and treasured her relationship with Ed, Ed Jr. and the entire Blecha family, as well as the family she was a part of from Mistica
Laura met her beloved husband Larry McGaffee at Lake McBride, Iowa when they were teenagers, and have been together ever since. Laura and Larry were married on August 16, 1986 at the Maywood Courthouse and have been married for nearly 38 years. They have created and shared countless memories over the years which will live on in the hearts of all the people she touched.
In her spare time, Laura enjoyed camping, boating, garage selling, chatting and snapchatting with everyone and having good times with her family and friends. She held dear her years at Woodsmoke Ranch with campfires and she especially enjoyed her time with her daughters and granddaughters.
Laura is survived by her loving husband, Larry McGaffee; her beautiful daughters, Elizabeth (Glen) and Katie (Matt) McGaffee; her energetic granddaughters, Isabelle and Willow; her siblings, Suzette (Dan) Thomas, Mark (Diane) Mangas, Jon (Deneen) Mangas, Cerise (Steve) LaGrange, and Seth (Kisha) Mangas; sisters-in-law, Laurie (Louie) Sedlacek and Shawn (Anthony) Pipitone; and numerous nieces and nephews, all of whom she loved dearly.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Janet and William Mangas
All friends and family are invited to celebrate Laura’s life on Saturday, June 29th, 2024 with visitation from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. with a prayer service at 4:00 p.m. at the Fred C. Dames Funeral Home, 3200 Black (at Essington) Rd., Joliet. For more information, please call 815-741-5500 or to leave an online condolence, visit her Memorial Tribute page at www.fredcdames.com.
