Dear Editor,
Mark and Douglas Williams’ daughter, Lauren Michelle, on Dec. 12, 2025 went to Heaven, where she now resides with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
She was a daughter, granddaughter, and a friend. She was someone who never shied away from a challenge. There was no piece of equipment on the farm that she couldn’t drive. She could work cattle, mend fences and so much more. She worked at St. Catherine’s Village and adored helping the elderly. She was someone who deeply cared about family and friends. To be either one of those was to know the very definition of loyalty. LM was someone whose life touched far more people than she probably ever realized.
If you knew nothing else about her, this would be enough. LM would be the first to reach out to people if they were going through a hard time, and she would flock to those who maybe felt left out. She was someone who showed up for people no matter what. This is what it looked like to “love like Jesus.”
Lauren Michelle’s mother and father want people to know though all three of our daughters are gone from this earth, we accept God’s will and love Him more than ever. Just like God restored Jobs life, we know He will restore ours, and it does not have to be restored here on earth because we know Jesus has out three girls in His house, and He will bring us to them in His time, and what an incredible family reunion we will have with our daughters. Satan has failed us for a third time to destroy us with the death of our daughter Lauren Michelle. We love the Lord more fiercely today than yesterday and our love will continue to grow more and more for Jesus every day.
We may not understand everything, but we can trust the heart of a God who entered our suffering through Jesus Christ.
We love you beautiful girl,
Mama and Dad
Below is a tribute written by her dear friend, Frederick Johnston
I always told Lauren Michelle that if I had to count on one hand the people in this world who I would take a bullet for, she'd be my thumb. That always made her laugh, which made me laugh because her laugh was just so contagious. One of my favorite memories I have from our childhood is when we'd get in a sleeping bag and slide down the stairs at her parents' house. To this day, I don't think I have ever laughed that hard.
I have been thinking so much the past few days about her and who she was as a person. She was so smart, especially the commonsense kind of smart. She was athletic, and great at whatever she set her mind to. She was also a very hard worker. Not to mention, Beautiful with a capital B. But the greatest quality to me was the size of her heart. I always felt that she had great empathy for others. Whether it was tragedy or something small, if you ever needed help, she would be there. She was the most selfless person. I knew this already, but from the stories people have told me the past few days, I am still learning just how big her heart truly was.
To be fully transparent, it's so damn hard to imagine a world without Lauren Michelle Williams in it. However, the fact that we got 30 years with such an amazing person, is truly a gift from God. The bond we had ran so deep and I can't even put it into words. We experienced some of the worst times of our lives together as kids, and I truly don't know what I would do if I didn't have her as a friend, especially during those dark times.
Over the past few days, it's been like a movie reel in my head replaying all the good times we had, and all the great things about LM. I am starting to believe that when we lose someone special to us, God has placed some kind of mechanism in us where we only think of the best times and the best things about that person. I think that is because we really see who they were at their core, not the stupid things that don't matter. We remember them as their authentic self. It's almost as if they have transcended to a place where their authentic self can be with us in our hearts and mind wherever we go. And I just think that's a beautiful thing.
I am writing all of this because if you are hurting like I am, I want you to take heart in knowing that LM will be with you wherever you go from now on. Her true authentic self that God sees is now with you. Take courage in knowing she is with the Lord and resting in the most perfect paradise. And I personally can't wait for the day that I get to see my friend again.
For me, this is going to take some time, but the gift she left me was the realization that life is way too short to not tell the people you love how much they mean to you. Please, don't wait. I'm so grateful that the last memory I have with LM was hugging her and saying we loved each other. I could write an entire book about LM, but I'll just end with this:
Lauren Michelle, I will never forget you and how big your heart was here on Earth. I will do my best to love others like you did. This is not "good-bye" but "see you later.” I will love you until the end of time.
Love,
Your big brother Frederick
Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you" says the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Sincerely,
Mark and Douglas Williams
