Laura Dubnoff Odegard became
heaven’s newest artist in residence on December 4, 2020. She passed away very
peacefully in her own home surrounded by her artwork and family. Born to
Italian immigrant parents, Angelita and Ernesto Lagomarsino, Laura enjoyed
growing up in San Francisco with her twin older sisters, Lillian Chiapellone
and Josephine Peterson. She often shared her many fond memories of attending
Lowell High School and Lone Mountain College, where she earned her teaching
credential. Laura met Al Dubnoff at a dance in San Francisco where he swept her
off her feet and they were married in 1956. Their son, Michael was born in
1957. They started their lives together living in Mountain View and San
Francisco, before settling in Concord in 1966. Al was always determined to lead
Laura on new adventures. He introduced her to camping (actually it was more
like he dragged her along) but she learned to love it – especially their trips
up to the redwoods and their property on the Matolle River in Northern
California. Together, Laura and Al volunteered and actively campaigned for John
F. Kennedy. Unfortunately, Al passed away at a young age in 1968. For the next
few years Laura successfully supported herself and Michael on her teacher’s
salary. She then met and married Frank Odegard. Frank introduced Laura to
winter sports – skating and skiing. While Laura enjoyed all the trees while
camping, skiing was another story. Laura
also enjoyed their annual trips to Minnesota to visit Frank's relatives, which
were always done by car! 

Her artistic talent shown from an
early age. Always an adventurous artist, Laura loved to learn new techniques
and styles – her collection of artwork includes everything from abstracts to
detailed pen and inks. Working in oils and acrylics, Laura brought to life San
Francisco Victorian homes and the grape vineyards surrounding the family’s
summer cabin in St. Helena. Over the last few months, in his tribute to his
mother, Michael scanned many of Laura’s paintings and drawings and shared them
online with family and friends who quickly recognized her amazing talent and
waited expectedly for the next piece of artwork to be posted – would it be a
watercolor, a San Francisco scene, or a page from her “Romancing the Elephant”
pen and ink calendar? Although Laura suffered from Alzheimer’s in her later
years, if you showed her one of her paintings, she would lift her hand like she
was holding a brush and attempt to add a few final touches to the piece. 

Laura had a varied and rewarding
teaching career. Her student teaching program took her to San Francisco’s
Tenderloin in the 1950’s, which opened new worlds for her – she would say she
learned more from her students there than she taught them. She went on to teach
4th Grade at Most Precious Blood Catholic School (now St. Francis) in Concord;
and completed her career at Foothill Middle School in Walnut Creek where she
assisted with special needs students. She took every opportunity to integrate
her love of art, as well as her own artwork, into her classrooms and the
classrooms of her fellow teachers. Many of her fellow teachers were honored to
receive a personalized Retirement Book with a Laura Odegard original artwork on
the cover – specially designed to represent the joys and talents of the
recipient. In addition to teaching, Laura volunteered numerous hours with the
schools and her church, assisting with art projects whenever she could. 

Laura’s Italian heritage was very
dear to her and she took pride in her Italian cooking – her spaghetti sauce,
stuffed Zucchini and Frittata were legendary with her family and friends. When
she attended the family gatherings she loved, she was almost always greeted at
the door with someone excitedly asking “Did you bring your Frittata?” Laura
always dreamed of visiting Italy and her parents’ hometown of Chiavari, but she
unfortunately never made it. Michael is determined to fulfill this dream and
will be taking his mom’s ashes to the Lagomarsino family home in Italy as soon
as it is safe to do so. 

Laura is proceeded in death by
her beloved husbands, Al Dubnoff and Frank Odegard; her parents, Ernesto and
Angelita Lagomarsino, and her sisters, Lillian Chiapellone and Josephine
Peterson. Laura is survived by her son, Michael Dubnoff (Katy), her
grandchildren, Christine, Valerie and Angie Dubnoff, and many nieces, nephews
and cousins. Laura was blessed with amazing caregivers whose warmth and
companionship brightened her days and led her into new adventures. Laura's
family wishes to give a special thank you to Toni Bailey, Laura’s live-in
companion and caregiver for more than 12 years. Her extraordinary care and
devotion allowed us to fulfill Laura’s wish to stay in her own home throughout
her long illness. We are extremely grateful for the extra support and
first-class home care provided by Oscar Osorio and his family; and thank you to
our family members, Josephine Peterson (Laura’s sister) and Maria Celle
(Laura’s cousin) who also cared for her. Also thank you to Felicia Young and
Toni’s daughter, Katie Haymaker for the care and comfort they provided Laura
over the years.