Shelby Vinson Laurents

SHELBY VINSON LAURENTS (1941-2023) Surrounded by his family, Shelby Vinson Laurents, 81, of Lake Arthur Louisiana, passed away on August 11th, 2023 in Sherwood, Oregon, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Shelby was born on November 26th, 1941 in Lake Arthur, Louisiana to Omar and Lois Broussard Laurents. He graduated from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana with a degree in Electrical Engineering in 1964. Shelby first worked as an engineer at Boeing in New Orleans. During his time there, he was proud to have contributed to NASA’s Apollo program, working on the telemetry system for the Saturn V rocket. He relocated to Houston to work for Brown and Root but spent the remaining 42 years of his career at Fluor. During his time at Fluor, he held various roles in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science departments. He was also a Global Leader for Electrical Engineering and retired in 2009 as the Senior Director of Enterprise Integration and Communications Systems. Shelby was a collector who loved technology, space, and Corvettes. He was a member of the St. Francis Catholic Church, Louisiana Tech Alumni, IEEE, ISA, TBPE, and the Freemasons Grand Lodge of Louisiana like his father before him. He was also a lifetime fitness enthusiast: lifting weights, running, biking, swimming, and optimizing his supplements for maximum health. Shelby had an enduring sense of hope, diligence, fun and optimism and believed in man’s ability to conquer any problem. He had an unparalleled work ethic, and his greatest wish was to build an enduring legacy for his family and contribute to society at large. Shelby is preceded in death by his father, Omar Vinson Laurents; his mother, Lois Broussard Laurents; stepfather William Clovis Chandler; and his sister Evelyn Laurents Morgan. He is survived by his loving wife of over 58 years, Lucille (Lucy); his daughter, Angele Rogers and son-in-law, Andrew; his son, Douglas Laurents and daughter-in-law, Nati; his daughter, Katherine Edwards and son-in-law, Christian; his nine grandchildren: Steven, Thomas, Julia Fields, David and Rose Rogers; Luis and Marina Laurents; and Ben and Rachel Edwards; his five great grandchildren Ophelia, Andrew, Sebastian, Leonidas and Peter Rogers; as well as numerous nieces, nephews and friends. A funeral mass will be held at 11 AM on 8/19/2023 at St. Francis Church in Sherwood, Oregon. A rosary will precede the mass at 10:30 AM. A reception will follow in the parish hall. In lieu of flowers, the family requests those who wish to express sympathy to consider donating to one of the following charities on Shelby’s behalf: The Shelby Vinson Laurents Endowment at Louisiana Tech University – www.latechalumni.org The Alzheimer’s Association - www.alz.org

Shelby Vinson Laurents

November 26, 1941 - August 11, 2023