Nancy J. Lauw

Nancy J. Lauw was born on October 18, 1939, in Waynesboro, Mississippi, to Luther Edward Jones and Rosie Elmedia (nee Shirah) Jones, and was the oldest girl in a family of nine children. To help support her family, she made a deal with her father: if she could secure a job at the local glove factory, she could quit school and start working. Her father, thinking she'd never get hired on, agreed. She got the job.

She later followed a friend from Mississippi down to the edge of the earth in Buras, Louisiana, for another job opportunity. While there, she caught the eye of a recently discharged Air Force veteran who had taken a job offshore and who was living in the same boarding house. After spending the day together, he asked her to marry him. She told him to ask again in the morning. Two weeks later, on January 21, 1962, she married Lane Lauw, who was arguably the sweetest and most accident-prone man who ever lived. Together, they ran Lauw's Gulf Service across from the gate of Northwestern State University for many years and raised two daughters, Shannon and Jodi. They remained happily married until Lane's sudden passing on December 15, 1993. Nancy was finally reunited with him on December 16, 2025, while surrounded by family in Marthaville, Louisiana.

During her life, Nancy was a woman of strong opinions, and she certainly didn't mind sharing them. Many of us, at one time or another, found ourselves the target of a sometimes deserved, "Y'all are so stupid." Despite her cantankerous side, Nancy was mostly known for the things she loved. She loved Jesus, Elvis, QVC, the New Orleans Saints, and Hallmark Christmas movies. She was a longtime member of the Natchitoches Moose Lodge and an active homemaker who could often be found volunteering at school functions and hand-making costumes and uniforms. She sang "Crazy" just as good as Patsy Cline and "Coal Miner's Daughter" with so much passion that you'd have thought her own father worked in a mine in Butcher Holler. We will remember her, though, for how much she loved being Lane's wife, Shannon and Jodi's momma, a sister to her many siblings, Aunt Nancy to countless nieces and nephews, and Maw Maw to her cherished grandchildren and great-grandchildren (especially Adam, because we know he was her favorite even though she denied it). We will miss her laughter, her singing, her fussing, her cooking, her stories, and just being able to hold her hand and be with her.

Nancy is preceded in death by her parents, Luther and Rosie, her beloved husband, Richard DeLaine Lauw, her brothers Milton, Gene, Brad, and Luke, her sister, Della, and grandchildren, Lilly Ann Kilgore, Paxton Delaine Kilgore, and Shad Kilgore. She is survived by her daughters Shannon Possoit (Clint) and Jodi Kilgore (Benny), her three siblings Robert Jones, Devon Jones, and Debby Cagle, grandchildren Shayne Creppel, Katy Kilgore Adams (Hunter), Adam Kilgore (Katie), Layna Creppel Jordan (Ty), Josh Kilgore (Haley), Lane Possoit (Jess) and Benji Kilgore, and great grandchildren McKenzie Kilgore, Hunter Kilgore, Walker Harris, Avery Kate Kilgore, Fisher Kilgore, Charleigh Kilgore, Brooklyn Kilgore, Addy Kilgore, Layla Kilgore, and Brooklyn Adams.

Funeral services for Nancy J. Lauw will be held on Friday, December 19, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. at Blanchard St. Denis Funeral Home in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Burial will follow at Beulah Cemetery in Marthaville, Louisiana, where she will be laid to rest beside her beloved husband. Those serving as pallbearers are Shayne Creppel, Adam Kilgore, Josh Kilgore, Lane Possoit, Benji Kilgore, and Hunter Adams. The family would like to extend a special thank you to Natchitoches Community Care, Natchitoches Parish Hospital, and Hospice of Natchitoches for the care shown to Nancy in her final months, days, and moments.