Laura Jane Boyles

Laura Jane Boyles, 62, of Manassas, VA, passed away at her home unexpectedly, but peacefully in her sleep, Thursday, January 9, 2020. Laura was born July 7, 1957, in Decatur, IL, the daughter of Keith Kennard and Lorraine Ferne (Rohrig) King and older sister to Susan King Edmiston. Laura graduated from Taylorville High School, Class of 1975, where she sang in the choir and played clarinet in the band. She attended Eastern Illinois University, graduating in 1979 with a BA in Music and a teaching certificate, with a concentration in voice. Laura began her music education teaching career in January 1980, teaching at DeLand-Weldon High School in Weldon, IL, where she directed Sound of Music, the first of many musicals throughout her career. Afterwards, Laura went on to teach at Dupo High School, and then Scott North Elementary School in Mascoutah, IL. During these years, in addition to directing musical productions at her schools, Laura performed in dozens of community musical theater productions, including productions of Kiss Me Kate, Carousel, Show Boat, South Pacific, Shenandoah, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, The Student Prince, Peter Pan, H.M.S. Pinafore, and You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown. Laura also sang with the St. Louis Symphony Chorus, culminating in their performance at Carnegie Hall in New York City. In February 1983, Laura met her husband, Paul Douglas Boyles, Jr. at Bellville United Methodist Church in Illinois. During this time, Paul was serving as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force and attending Parks College of St. Louis University for his second BS in Aerospace Engineering. Attending her very first church service, Laura sat next to Paul, and he was struck by the majesty of Laura’s singing voice, commenting that “it was like sitting next to an angel.” He invited her to Sunday school and eventually worked up the courage to ask Laura out, and thus began their courtship. They became engaged in June 1984 and married August 18, 1984, at Taylorville United Methodist Church. When Paul, now a 1st Lieutenant, received new orders to Langley Air Force Base, Paul and Laura packed up and began their married lives by moving to Hampton, VA. There they welcomed their first child, Kathleen Marie, in February 1985 and their second child, Juliann Elizabeth, in March 1987. In April 1987, the family moved again to Dayton, OH, where Paul, now a Captain, was stationed at the Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. In June 1989, Paul and Laura welcomed their third child, Matthew Douglas. During these first eight years of marriage, Laura stayed at home, raising their three children, while working part-time as the Youth Choir Director at the local United Methodist Church and serving as a dedicated Girl Scout leader. After Paul left the Air Force, the family moved to Manassas, VA, in February 1993, where Paul began working for the Federal Government as a Computer Specialist. In September 1993, Laura began her career in Manassas City Public Schools teaching music at Jennie Dean Elementary School, where she would give thousands of children in the Manassas community an appreciation for music, for 25 years. In April 1995, Laura and Paul welcomed their fourth child, Michael Keith. In addition to directing several large musical productions at Jennie Dean Elementary every year, complete with costumes, sets and props for over 100 students, Laura became very active in youth organizations around Manassas. Laura served as her daughters’ dedicated Girl Scout leader for over 12 years, as well as the music director of countless Girl Scout, Boy Scout, Vacation Bible School, Church Choir Camps, and Center for the Arts theater summer camps, in which she enrolled her children. She also supported several children’s church choirs throughout the Manassas community, in which her children, and later her grandson, participated. In addition to working full time and raising four children, in 2000, Laura began directing full-scale children’s musical theater productions for the Pied Piper Theater program under the Center for the Arts in Manassas. Laura directed the vocal music and the Pied Piper orchestra, which she assembled, for over a dozen shows in the community, in which all of her children participated with fond memories. The shows included Mary Poppins, Annie, The Sound of Music, Beauty and the Beast, Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz (twice!), Cinderella, Oliver!, Seussical the Musical, The Little Mermaid, and The Hobbit. Laura’s love of music, affinity for crafts, dedication to excellence, and joy of giving to others shown through in all of her activities. After all her children had graduated from the Pied Piper program, Laura continued to share her joy of music by singing with the Manassas Chorale, performing at the Hylton Performing Arts Center. Laura completed her Masters in Education with a concentration in literacy from George Mason University in 2009. For her master’s thesis, Laura focused on teaching literacy through music. In June 2018, Laura retired from Manassas City Public Schools after 25 years of teaching music. In her retirement, Laura continued to celebrate her love of music by singing with the Manassas Chorale, singing in the choir and playing handbells at Grace United Methodist Church, and most recently directing the musical Elf this past December for Rooftop Productions. Most of all, Laura enjoyed spending time with her greatest joys, which are her soon to be six grandchildren: Jayden (10), Venus (3), Benjamin (2), Lydia (1), Olivia (2 months), and Lilian (due April 2020). Laura so enjoyed holding her grandbabies and singing with them all, nurturing the love of music in this next generation, as she did with her four children, and all of the thousands of children she had the pleasure of teaching. In addition to her parents, Laura was predeceased by her son Michael (Boyles). Surviving in addition to her husband of 35 years, Paul, and her sister Susan King Edmiston (Jay), are her children and grandchildren: daughter Kathleen Boyles and her two children Jayden and Venus; daughter Juliann Jones (Matthew), and their two children Benjamin and Lilian (due April 2020); and son Matthew Boyles (Maria) and their two children Lydia and Olivia. Laura’s visitation will be at Pierce Funeral Home from 3-6 p.m. Saturday, January 18, located at 9609 Center St, Manassas, VA 20110. Her memorial service will be at Grace United Methodist Church at 2 p.m. Sunday, January 19, located at 9750 Wellington Rd, Manassas, VA 20110. During the memorial service, various musical groups from the Manassas community will perform in tribute to Laura, in honor of her 25 years of dedication to music education in Manassas. The family welcomes flower donations, which can be sent to Pierce Funeral Home in Manassas for Laura’s services. Laura loved flowers of all kinds and would fill her garden with flowers each mother’s day. The family has set up a scholarship fund at the Center for the Arts in Manassas in Laura’s honor to help provide financial assistance to children in the Manassas community, allowing them to participate in theater camps and Pied Piper shows. Please consider making a charitable donation to the Center for the Arts fund. Laura believed in the importance of arts in the community and spent the majority of her life supporting the arts and the children of Manassas. She will be missed dearly by her family and the Manassas community.

Laura Jane Boyles

July 7, 1957 - January 9, 2020