Laura Jayne DeAngelis

Laura Jayne DeAngelis, 48, of Purcellville, Virginia, lost the long battle with her mind and soul, to the evil tormenting power of Bipolar 1’s depression, and died by suicide on April 25, 2022, at her home in Purcellville, Virginia. Laura is survived by her mother, step-father, sister, brother-in-law, and niece. Born Sunday, September 23, 1973, Laura was the daughter of Lawrence J DeAngelis (who preceded her in death) and Patricia A ( Kolb) Nelson. Karl A Kolb, Laura’s uncle, also preceded her in death. Laura graduated from Kansas City Art Institute in 1995, where she previously taught. Laura was truly gifted with numerous talents, and the crowning jewel of her artistic accomplishments was as a sculptress, using clay as her medium. Laura also incorporated the ancient technique of encaustic beeswax to cover and color a number of ceramic figures. Each pound of beeswax was made of the nectar from 17 million flowers. Laura served as the lead artist for the redesign and reconfiguration of the Oppenstein Park in Kansas City, Missouri. It included numerous one-of-kind site specific sculptural and architectural art elements. An abundant number of Laura’s sculptures were also on display at the Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art gallery, and at the Epstein Gallery, both located in Kansas City. Laura’s sculptures are also in a number of public and private collections. Laura exhibited at the “Sculpture Objects Functional Art” in Chicago, Illinois, and in the San Francisco Bay Area. Laura was invited to Santa Fe, New Mexico, as a visiting artist, to teach a weeklong sculptural workshop. She also taught courses and workshops in Chicago and Tennessee. Laura’s woodworking proficiency was unsurpassed. Laura was an accomplished classical pianist. Laura possessed an exceptional degree of intellectual natural ability, and learned/understood new information easily. She was knowledgeable about an impressive quantity of various subject matters. Her focus of attention was continually being revised, dependent upon her expanding interests. Laura’s greatest delight in daily relaxation activities was to enjoy the tranquility of walking through acres of forest with her four goats that she raised from newborns. Laura will always be remembered as the epitome of a graceful, warm hearted and all-around remarkable individual. She possessed an abundance of “true grit” and was known for her loving care and soft spoken words. She acted upon the basic human need to be understood and acknowledged. Her smile radiated from her, both inwardly and outwardly, genuinely brightening wherever she was currently, or had been. Laura’s warmth, gentleness and tenderhearted interactions will always be found in the hearts of those who knew and loved her. In lieu of flowers, Laura’s family requests that “Suicide Prevention Lifeline” be contacted for donations at over 200 local crisis centers.

Laura Jayne DeAngelis

September 23, 1973 - April 25, 2022