I thought I would pass on this to all as many Saratoga people also has Washington County people and frequently found and communicated with Laura Hulslander. God Bless Ruth Ann [email protected] _______________________________________________ -----Original Message----- From: martha <[email protected]> To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Date: Monday, April 03, 2000 10:14 AM Subject: [NYGEN-L] A Friend Passes Away >Dear CC's of New York State: > >Again I have to make the sad announcement that another member of our group >passed away. Early yesterday morning we lost our friend Laura Hulslander - >wife, mother, and coordinator of Washington County GenWeb. > >One of the earliest cc's to volunteer for our project, Laura had previously >made genealogy her career. I'd like to take some time to speak some facts >that will pay tribute to her spirit and professionalism. If your own >ancestors were in Washington County then you know that a large portion of >the transcribed records for the county, and some surrounding counties, were >done by Laura herself over the course of many years. Many of these records >were printed and self-published for her own company, The Sleeper Company. >As a young military wife, Laura moved every few years, and the successful >family business Sleeper went on the road, becoming a mail-order company >using print catalogs and e-commerce. Laura was a recognized authority on >the early history of Washington County and the northeast region of the >state and had a large personal library that she shared with all who emailed >her. If you had a question about Washington ancestors, Laura went through >her library and wrote long, detailed responses with book and document >citations. If she found a tidbit later she'd surprise you with follow-up >email when least expected. That was my personal experience with Laura's >generosity and I've heard this from others. > >Two years ago Laura was diagnosed with an aggressive and, for her, familial >form of breast cancer. Shortly after, she set up a section on Washington >GenWeb that documented her treatment and thoughts so that her site visitors >would become aware of this form of cancer, especially young women like >herself. The link into Laura's journal is on the site by the pink ribbons. > >http://www.rootsweb.com/~nywashin/ > >Sometimes it was difficult for her to update Washington but her site >visitors were understanding, sending her letters of love and encouragement, >and her fellow coordinators always asked "how is Laura doing". Laura and >her loved ones went through extremely difficult times through which she had >the positive attitude reflected in her personal journal. Continuing to >maintain Washington meant a lot to her. Laura meant the world to >Washington County researchers. > >>From her husband David: > >Laura made hundreds, maybe thousands of friends through her research on >Washington County and her "Sleeper Company" and I know would want to tell >them how much they meant to her. Genealogy was her passion and the friends >she made through it were invaluable to her quality of life these last 18 >months as she battled cancer. > >Our hearts and prayers go out to David and her children. > >Laura's last entry was February 19, 2000. > > >Martha S. Magill >Asst. State Coordinator >NYGenWeb > > > ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.