Michael R. Laurent of Frisco, Texas, passed away peacefully on July 15,2022. He was born on November 10, 1949, to Carl and Edna Laurent in Springfield, Illinois. He graduated from Springfield High School and went on to complete two years at Judson College in Elgin, Illinois before turning his attention to and working with troubled youth, followed by his military service.
In the company of so many other great American service members, Mike was honored to wear the cloth of his country while serving in the United States Navy. Mike served for two years at the height of the Vietnam war as a Radioman before receiving an honorable discharge in March of 1971. He was awarded the National Defense Service Medal for his loyal and dedicated service to the United States.
Mike then shifted into Sales and had a long and successful career in the food industry, receiving multiple awards for his achievements, often as top salesman in his territories. As with many sales positions, Mike lived in various places throughout the U.S. including Colorado, where his oldest, Rebecca, and youngest, Trey, were born, Stephanie in Iowa, Lindsey in Wisconsin, and Micah in Maryland.
Mike was known for his kindness, humor, creativity, jokes and constantly creating puns with a gift for a play on words. Mike loved classic rock music, singing, and playing the guitar. On family road trips, he would make his children tell him the name of every song and artist that came on the radio, which led them to their unique but enviable knowledge of music history. He loved music so much, that he also knew the story behind why the artist wrote the song and the meaning behind the lyrics. He loved all sports, but especially baseball and basketball, being outdoors, camping, working in the yard, and aerobie. Mike enjoyed being at home with his children and always made his garage a hang-out place for all. Mike's creativity and love of basketball led him to create a new board game he trademarked Cardball.
Mike is preceded in death by his parents Dr. Carl W. Laurent, Jr and Edna Laurent and nephew Glen Michael Laurent. He is survived by his wife Marjorie Webb Laurent, daughters Rebecca (Tim) Hughes, Stephanie (Keith) Tracy, and Lindsey Laurent, and sons Micah Laurent, and Trey Laurent; four grandchildren who called him “G-pa”, Mia, Griffin, Kya, Olivia, and a great-grandchild, Liam. Mike is also survived by his brothers William (Carlyn) and Robert (Joyce) and sister Linda, along with numerous nieces and nephews.
Visitation and service for Mike will be held Friday, July 22, 2022 – 1:30 for visitation – service begins at 2:00 p.m. at Turrentine Jackson Morrow Funeral Home, 8520 Main Street, Frisco. Interment at DFW National Cemetery on Wednesday, July 27, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to UT Southwestern Medical Center, P. O. Box 910888, Dallas, TX 75391-0888 or online at www.utsouthwestern.edu/donatenow to support the Lung Transplant Clinic at UT Southwestern.
The service will also be live streamed at TJMfuneral.com on Michael's obituary page by clicking on the following link: https://celebrationoflife.tv/blog/michael-laurent After the service, the recorded live stream will be available for viewing at the same link location.