- Date Of Birth: November 24, 1970
- Date Of Death: January 23, 2010
- State: Michigan
LEKAN, Laura, Kalamazoo. Loving wife, mother, daughter, granddaughter, sister and aunt, Laura passed away at her home on Saturday, January 23, 2010 after a courageous 20 month battle with breast cancer. Laura was born November 24, 1970 in Royal Oak, MI, the daughter of George Thomas and Nancy Dunkerley Hesselbacher and had been a resident of Kalamazoo for 20 years.
She earned her Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Music Education from Western Michigan University in 1995 and 2003 respectively. In 1995 she joined the Parchment School District as a music educator, teaching through December of 2009 at Northwood and Central Elementary Schools. She had also taught at the high school and middle school. On July 8, 1995, she married Joe Lekan, who survives. Laura is also survived by their children, Josh 12, Maggie 6 and Miles 6; mother and step-father, Nancy and Rick Hardt of Seffner, FL; brother, Dan Jennifer Hesselbacher and their daughter, Sofia; step-mother, Jan Sidalke of Suttons Bay, MI; mother-in-law, Marilyn Lekan of N. Olmsted, OH; grandmother, Kathryn Dunkerley Campbell and her husband Fred Campbell; aunts and uncles, Paul Lyn Dunkerley, Bonnie Dunkerley, Tom Chris Dunkerley, Sally Kirschner, Chuck Laima Durst, Carol Chick Ross and Rob Hackman; and numerous cousins.
Laura was preceded in death by her father, George Thomas Hesselbacher; father-in-law, Tony Lekan; grandfathers, Gayle Dunkerley and Chuck Durst; grandmother Enid Durst; and an aunt, Sally Hackman. Laura was diagnosed with breast cancer in May of 2008. During this time, she maintained an online journal that touched many people caringbridge.org/visit/lauralekan. Laura was an active member of the First Congregational Church of Kalamazoo.
