Laura Lee 'Laurie' (Wilde) Bezner

Laura Lee (Laurie) Wilde Bezner, 94, died Saturday, May 6, in Richland Hills, Texas. She was born November 1, 1928, in Muenster, Texas to the late Joseph Bernard Wilde and Loretta Eberhart Wilde. She joined the family with her older brother, Raymond Wilde, deceased, and her sister, Gladys Wilde Bezner, deceased. Laurie grew up in Muenster, Texas and graduated from Sacred Heart High School in 1946. She attended Our Lady of Cincinnati college in Ohio, then Texas Tech University, and after marrying, graduated from North Texas State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in education. She also completed studies for a master’s degree in political science from North Texas State University. Laurie married Jacob (James) Cyril Bezner of Lindsay, Texas in January 1949, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Muenster. They had five children: Brian James Bezner, Samuel Robert Bezner, Susan Catherine Bezner Smith, Christopher Nicholas Bezner, and James Kevin Bezner. Laurie taught third grade at Lindsay Elementary School for several years. Laurie then went to work for the State of Texas setting up one of the first Mental Health Clinics in the state in Gainesville. She subsequently went to work for the Texas Department of Human Services, for which she worked until she retired in 1993. Laurie worked in several departments, including aid to families with dependent children, the aged programs, and finally day care licensing. Laurie had a lifelong love of adventure. As a teenager, her father taught her and her sister, Gladys, to fly his Piper Cub airplanes. Laurie loved to do ‘loop-de-loops’ as she called them, stalling out one time and safely landing. During WWII, her brother Ray, as well as most young men in the state, were gone fighting the war. So, her father had his daughter, Laurie, age 14, driving double clutch grain trucks to deliver grain throughout Texas, while he operated steam thrashing machines to help farmers across the state to harvest grain. Laurie also loved to ice skate and snow ski, which she and James did on their honeymoon in Colorado. Laurie always loved to travel and had traveled to many places throughout the United States. The family at one point drove all the way from Texas to Canada, making many stops along the way in various states and Washington D.C. Later in life, she traveled to England and Germany, then to Japan and throughout China. She took cruises through the Greek islands, through Spain and Portugal, along the fjords in Scandinavia, the Russian river, Alaska, then a long cruise down the coast of Chile to the tip of Argentina and across to the Antarctic peninsula to see the penguins. Laurie was always a woman of faith. Raised by her parents and community in the Catholic church, she passed on her faith, knowledge, and her devotion to all her family and friends. She had prayers for many situations and beautiful prayers her mother had handed down to her. She taught catechism and was active in the women’s groups in all the parishes of which she was a member. She was an active member of St. John the Apostle Catholic Church in North Richland Hills, Texas, a few blocks from her last residence in Hurst, Texas. There, she had been involved in the Catholic bible studies and small worship groups. Laurie played bridge throughout her adult life and loved the game and the friendships that grew from them. In Hurst, she belonged to a local women’s club and was involved in various activities, fund raising, and – of course – bridge. She also began to go to the local Hurst Senior Center to exercise, which she always said helped make her feel and move better. For over the last ten years, Laurie was lovingly cared for by her son, Sam Bezner, whose commitment to her health and well-being enabled her to remain in the comfort of her home, until five months ago when she went to Brookdale assisted living. The entire family is truly grateful to Sam for his devotion and care for their beloved mother and Granny. Laurie is survived by her daughter-in-law, Nancy Bezner, of Temple, Texas; her son, Sam Bezner of Hurst, Texas; her daughter, Susan Bezner Smith and husband, Stewart, of Denton, Texas; her son, Chris Bezner and wife, Page, of Brownwood, Texas; and her son Jim Bezner and wife, Emily, of Richmond Hill, Georgia. Laurie is also survived by 12 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, James Bezner in 1993; her infant brother, Robert Wilde prior to her birth; her brother, Raymond Wilde; her sister, Gladys Wilde Bezner; and her beloved son, Brian James Bezner, deceased in 2017. A Funeral Mass to celebrate Laurie’s life will be held on Saturday, June 10. at 10:00 AM at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 713 N. Main St., Muenster, Texas with Father Joseph Keating officiating. A Reception will follow at the church hall. A Rosary will be recited at 9:30 AM in the sanctuary of the church. A Rite of Committal with take place following the Funeral Mass on Saturday, June 10, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church Cemetery. Flowers are welcome or memorials may be made in Laurie’s memory to Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Arrangements entrusted to the Scott Funeral Home in Muenster, Texas.

Laura Lee 'Laurie' (Wilde) Bezner

November 1, 1928 - May 6, 2023