Mrs. Laura Jeanne Hastings

Mrs. Laura Jeanne Hastings, age 87, of Shelbyville, passed away Friday, March 28, 2014, at Adams Place in Murfreesboro. Graveside services will be 3 PM Sunday, March 30, 2014, at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens. Reverend David Adams will officiate. Following the service, the family will have a reception honoring her life at the home of Denny and Thesa Hastings in Shelbyville. She was born October 14, 1926, in Lewisburg, Tennessee, to the late Eulie and Maggie Shaw Hobby. She was preceded in death by seven brothers and sisters. Jeanne was married to Robert “Bobby” Hastings who died in 2002. She is survived by a son, Denny N. Hastings, and his wife Thesa, of Shelbyville; two grandchildren, Kara Ashley Segroves and her husband Kyle, and Denny Shane Hastings, and his wife Sarah; five great grandchildren, Gavin and Gwyneth Segroves, Hannah, Sam, and Olivia Hastings; her caregiver, Carol Rose; her beloved cat, Lilly. Jeanne grew up in the Berlin Community and lived in Belfast where she raised her family. She was a member of Mt. Zion Methodist Church. The family wishes to thank the Bedford County Emergency Staff and Centennial Hospital for the care given during her sudden illness. Most of all, to Carol Rose for the love and care she always gave her and for the long rides in the country and her endless patience. Memorials may be made to: Bell Buckle United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 357, Bell Buckle, TN 37020. Laura Jeanne Hastings may best be defined by the following passages from Proverbs Chapter 31: “Who can find a virtuous wife , her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain, She does him good and not evil all the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax and willingly works with her hands, She arises while it is yet night and provides food for her household. She considers a field and buys it; from her profit she plants a vineyard. She watches over the ways of her household and does not eat the bred of idleness. Her children call her blessed, her husband also, and he praises her.” Laura Jeanne and Bob Hastings started their household on a rural hillside farm in Marshall County in 1945. In 1947 before there was air conditioning she delivered a ten pound baby boy with such difficulty she was not able to have any more children. She raised her son Denny according to the work ethic she had always known, and because of the isolation of their farm, she became his mother, task master and most of all his best friend. For years she cooked on a wood burning stove, always making sure there was plenty for them to eat. Bob took a job working at night in a factory which took him away from any daily activity with she or Denny. She tended the farm which included dairy cows, beef cattle, sheep, and hogs. She had a ready helper in Denny, but she knew that all work and no play was not good for a young boy and she took him fishing, played ball with him, and was his only playmate for some time. She and Bob sacrificed and saved money to send Denny to college where he became the first in his family to receive a college degree. She was a proud wife, mother and grandmother and fiercely loyal to her family. She was an astute business woman as well and helped Denny grow his building business. She had a dry and wonderful sense of humor that was evident up until the final hours of her life. If she met you, she never forgot who you were. Laura Jeanne Hastings lived an incredible, wonderful and rich life enjoying her business, family and friends up to her final hours. She will be missed by them all. Feldhaus Memorial Chapel is assisting the family with the arrangements.

Mrs. Laura Jeanne Hastings

October 14, 1926 - March 28, 2014