FUNERAL:  The funeral service for the late Laura L. Anderson will be on Sunday, July 28, 2019, 11:00 a.m., at the Church of God, Bluff, Eleuthera, Bahamas

LAURA L. ANDERSON DIES -- The oldest serving local elder in the South Bahamas Conference, Laura L. Anderson, died at the age of 101 on Saturday, July 12, 2019, at noon at her home in Bluff Eleuthera, The Bahamas.   Her 106-year-old brother was buried just two weeks earlier.  She is survived by her daughter and one grandchild.  Funeral Service to be announced soon.   The district pastor for Bluff is Mannassah Simms. 

Laura was the oldest serving church treasurer in the Adventist Church and perhaps the oldest local elder.  She was a vibrant force for the Adventist Church in North Eleuthera and a giant pillar in the community.  (Photo on the right was taken in 2017 when she was 99 years old)

She was gifted, energetic, well-rounded, intellectual, witty, deeply spiritual and a no-nonsense person.  Laura L.  Anderson was a good example of an Adventist who was an active witness within the church and community.  Not only did she enjoy reading the Bible and sharing Jesus, she was also a great and passionate player of the table game, Dominoes, and was usually the "life of the party."

Here are excerpts from an online article in the Eleuthera Newspaper 2017 that shares briefly about Laura Anderson's life.   The article, written by Eric Rose of the Bahamas Information Services, is entitled "North Eleuthera School Renamed After A ‘Teacher Extraordinaire’, Laura L. Anderson."  

This article is about the renaming of the public school in Bluff Eleuthera to Laura L. Anderson Primary School in 2017.   At the time of the article she was 99 years old.  

"Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Rt. Hon. Perry Christie said, on March 9, 2017, that the renaming of the North Eleuthera Primary School to the Laura L. Anderson Primary School is quite fitting as it commemorates the contributions of a “dedicated educator in our system. . . Prime Minister Christie added that Laura Louise Anderson, a daughter of the Bluff, now 99 years old, one of the oldest residents living in the township of The Bluff, was a “teacher extraordinaire” for more than 35 years and an educator all of her life. Present at the event was 104-year-old oldest living native of the settlement Samuel Neely: her brother.

Her role at this school also began “many moons ago” when the North Eleuthera Primary School was called The Bluff All Age School, he said. Mrs. Anderson was just five years old, he added, when she first attended the All Age School. He was advised that in 1922, and records indicated, she was a stellar student, earning five BJC’s and five GCE’s, which she had to travel to Nassau to take. . . "Ms. Anderson then went on to become a staple in the community by serving as the public librarian, registering births and deaths, for more than 28 years, however she did much more than that during her time at the library,” Prime Minister Christie said. “The library became a homework help centre for many of the children in the community, and Mrs. Anderson would also teach many boys and girls how to read.”

“She was also an active member and leader of the Red Cross, participating in first aid and health lectures and also visiting the sick and the shut ins,” he added. “She also assisted in the collection of old age pension and food stamps for the elderly in the community for more than 12 years. . .

Prime Minister Christie stated that Mrs. Anderson had won many awards during her lifetime including the following: a Music Award and General Community Service Award, in 1987; a Medal of Honor from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, in 1996; the First National Heroes Award in 2003; and the first National Bahamas Award, he presented to her, for her “spirit of togetherness, for selflessness, and her noteworthy invaluable contribution to the people of The Bahamas.”

Read entire article.

What video of Laura Anderson during the renaming of the school in 2017