Sally Eleanor Laufketter

Mrs. Sally Eleanor Steward Laufketter died Sunday, April 27, 2008. She was born April 16, 1930, and raised on a farm in Marshalltown, Iowa. After graduating from high school, she attended Stephen’s College in Columbia, Missouri. In 1961, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Education. Her post graduate work included a Master of Education in 1967 and her counseling license from the University of Southern Illinois. Her professional career began as the director of an innovative primary school in Clayton, Missouri. Three years later, she began teaching for the Pattonville School District in St. Louis County. In 1968, she took a position as an elementary school counselor at Marvin Elementary School in the Ritenour School District and helped develop a model elementary counseling program for the state of Missouri. In 1982, she was honored for meritorious service to the counseling profession by the St. Louis Personnel and Guidance Association. The St Louis School Counselors Association named her School Counselor of the Year in 1986. In addition, she was one of the first nationally certified marriage and family counselors. Upon retiring from the public school system, she supervised student teachers for the University of Missouri-St. Louis and taught parent education classes for Webster College. In 1990, she retired to Ocean Springs to be near family. She became a member of the Ocean Springs Hospital Auxiliary and accumulated over 3500 hours of volunteer service. Both professionally and personally, she touched and influenced the lives of many. However, her greatest joy was her three grandsons, her great granddaughter and namesake, Eleanor Kathryn, and her Chihuahua, Vickie. Sally was preceded in death by her parents, Homer and Mary Steward and her son, John Stephen Laufketter. She is survived by her husband of 57 years, John “Jack” Laufketter, her daughter, Nancy Lokitz and her husband, Shelly, daughter in law, Jackie Laufketter, all of Ocean Springs, grandsons Stephen Jared Lokitz and wife, Kyla of Shreveport, LA, Michael John Laufketter of Ocean Springs, Bradley Steward Lokitz and wife, Rachel of Knoxville, TN, a great granddaughter, Eleanor Kathryn “Ellie Kate” Lokitz of Shreveport, LA, sister, Dorothy Koehl of Tacoma, WA, sister - in laws Doris Dunham of St. Louis, MO and Carol Sowlakis of Virginia Beach, VA, dear friends Benji and Joyce Levin of St. Louis, MO, godson, Bradley Jason Levin of New York City, NY and eight nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorial donations be made in her name to the Ocean Springs Hospital Auxiliary Scholarship Fund at: Ocean Springs Hospital Auxiliary, 3109 Bienville Blvd., Ocean Springs, MS 39564. The Ocean Springs Chapel of Bradford O'Keefe Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.