Laura Lee (Wiley) Burbank of Stoneridge in Mystic, Connecticut, passed away on Wednesday, October 14, 2009 at 12:05 a.m. She had bravely fought complications from Parkinson’s Disease for over four years.
Laura Lee is survived by her husband of 62 years, James C. Burbank, and their children and families: Leland H. W. Burbank of Mystic; Scott C. Burbank and his wife, Terry, of Mystic and their children, Sean and Kolleen; and Bettina Burbank and her husband, Paul Kirshen, of Concord, Massachusetts and their children, Leland and Alexander.
Laura Lee was born on January 20, 1926 in Hartford, Connecticut, the only child of Leland Howard and Gertrude (Borden) Wiley. She attended grammar schools in West Hartford and graduated from Oxford School (now Kingswood-Oxford) in 1943. She attended Connecticut College, graduating in 1947 as a foreign language major.
In 1947 she married James C. Burbank in Hartford, honeymooning at Skytop Lodge in Pennsylvania. They moved to Portland, Maine, where they had their first child, Leland. They relocated to Stonington in 1952 when James began working at Electric Boat. After their second son Scott was born, they settled in Mystic, and had their third child, Bettina. Once the children were all in school, Laura Lee took a position at Connecticut College in the Registrar’s Office, where she enjoyed working for 25 years while remaining an actively involved and devoted mother.
Laura Lee and Jim enjoyed their lives together in Mystic for over fifty years. In their early years there, Laura Lee was a den mother for a Cub Scout group which was headquartered in her basement. She also liked to volunteer at the Mystic Seaport, the Mystic & Noank Library, the Mystic Congregational Church and the Mystic Art Center.
In the summers, she loved swimming, and sailing and cruising with her husband on their 30 foot sloop “Footloose”. She regularly played golf with a group of ladies, joking that none were quite as bad as she was. Her other interests included reading, bocce, bridge and aerobic exercise classes. Also, she and Jim took great pleasure in traveling together in this country and abroad.
Laura Lee loved to host family gatherings, often participating in backyard sports with the children. As a very involved and supportive grandmother, she took great pleasure in attending Sean’s and Kolleen’s local music and sporting events, including cross country, track, tennis and volleyball. Although unable to attend Leland’s and Alexander’s activities due to distance, she was always eager to hear about their soccer, basketball, lacrosse and track events, as well as their musical lessons and concerts.
Donations may be made in Laura Lee’s memory to the Mystic Congregational Church or the Mystic & Noank Library.
Her family will gather for a private memorial service.
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