Laurel Yvonne Acosta, 61, died peacefully on Thursday, June 23, 2016, at her home in Show Low under the care of Hospice and her family. A small viewing was held June 27 at Owens Livingston Mortuary. She was born in Coral Gables, Fla., to William and Florence Anne Blanchard. They moved as a family when she was 21 months old to Southern California. She graduated from Agoura High School in 1972, and went on to graduate from Arizona State University with a degree in education and a master’s degree from Northern Arizona University in 1987. She excelled in academics and could master anything she put her mind to, including computers and working on 18-wheeler engines, as well as driving them across country. She bragged about driving to all the states except Rhode Island. A teaching job in Taylor brought her to the Show Low area. She taught Special Education one year in Taylor and a year at Show Low Junior High School before getting a job teaching third grade at Show Low Elementary School for seven years with her sister Cheryl. If you remember the “HanBell” team (Hancock/Bell), give her a shout out! In 1994 she and her brother Bill opened a pizza restaurant called Paradise Pizza. She then went on to work at Show Low Construction with her brother-in-law, Doyle Hancock. Her working career with Whiteriver Construction ended when her disabilities became too debilitating. She always kept a positive attitude and tried holistic ways to heal herself. Laurie met, fell in love with and married her soul mate, John Acosta, on June 5, 1998. They loved to camp and hike, and commune with nature. Her dogs Buster Brown and Little Man are missing her now and always. Survivors include her husband, John; her mother, Florence; two brothers, William (LaVonne) and James (Nancy) Blanchard; her sister, Cheryl Hancock; and many nieces, nephews and good friends she made along the way. She was preceded in death by her father, and hours before she passed, said, “Move over, Dad, and make room for me and (her brother-in-law) Doyle.”
