Laura Dolores PanDec 19, 1952-Oct 1, 2017"Blessed is the influence of one true, loving human soul on another." Laura was such a soul. Laura passed peacefully on Sun, Oct 1, 2017, at Big Bend Hospice House.Laura was born on Dec 19, 1952, in Bronx, NY, the youngest child and only daughter of Manuel and Dolores Pan. She is predeceased by her father (1988); her fiancé, Randy Alfonso (c1995); and her husband, Bill Johnson (2004).Laura moved to Tallahassee in the 70s. From 1977-1987, she worked in various positions at FSU, financing her part- and full-time education solely through her salaries, additional grants and scholarships. She received her AA from TCC in 1984, and her BSW, cum laude, in 1986, and MSW in 1987 from FSU's School of Social Work.After receiving her Master's in Social Work, she created a most unique internship, working with Mitch Snyder, national homeless advocate, at the Community for Creative Non-Violence, Victor Howell House. She walked the streets in Washington, DC, as a social worker, living in the homeless shelter, working as advocate, mediator, enabler, broker and mobilizer.She then continued helping the homeless and children in Boise, ID, and returned to Tallahassee in 1990, where she began work in the Department of Health, Family Health Services, until her retirement in 2015. She helped create and worked extensively with the innovative Healthy Start Program that identified high-risk pregnant women and infants. Laura was respected by everyone for her integrity and honesty and commitment to the program's goals. As one colleague wrote: "Laura made the world a better place for mothers and babies and made us all better people." Personally, Laura had struggles throughout her life, yet she was joyful, thankful, funny and, most of all, loving and loved. In 1997, Laura went into liver failure due to Hepatitis C, and received the gift of a liver transplant in 1998. At that time, life expectancy after transplant was 10 years. She lived an impactful and full life from then on. In the mid-90s, she was engaged to marry Randy Alfonso, who was such a joy in her life. Sadly he died a month before their wedding. In 2002, she attended the Transplant Games in Orlando and joked that she was going to meet her future husband there, and she did - she ran into Bill Johnson, the absolute love of her life. Bill moved to Tallahassee later in 2003 and they were married in October of that year. Tragically, they had only nine more months together before he died in July of 2004. She continued to persevere but as the years passed her Hepatitis C attacked her new liver, yet she worked and played hard as her body began to give out on her. The past two years, despite finally being cured of her Hepatitis last year, were especially rough ones for Laura and in the weeks before she went to Big Bend Hospice House she said she was ready to let go. She, as everyone else, was amazed and thankful that her strong, gifted liver allowed her to live 19 more years. She and we were blessed that she saw, and of course hugged, all of her closest friends and many family members before dying and was surrounded by her mother, one of her brothers and four of her dear friends at the time of her death. Laura leaves behind her dear mother, Dolores Pan; her brothers Joseph Pan (Wilma), Manuel Pan (Rachel) and Richard Pan; Aunt and Godmother Dolly Garaventa and Aunt Dolores Rampola; her sister/cousin Suzy Garaventa-Politis (Michael) and cousins Claudia Jimenez (Sonny), Maria Serafini (Richard) and Olga Pavlick; loving nieces, nephews and friends. In addition she leaves behind her devoted and beloved longtime friends, Jesse and Tree McKenzie.Memorial Services will take place at 5:30 on Monday, October 9, at Culleys on Riggins Road, Tallahassee, FL. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Big Bend Hospice House to include purchasing a memorial brick in Laura's honor, or make donations to children's charities of your choice.