Laura Lee Wagschal

Laura Lee Wagschal passed away peacefully at the age of 70 in the early morning hours of June 11, 2026, at home in Davenport, Iowa. She was beside her devoted husband, Steve, with whom she shared 55 years of love and 49 years of marriage. In recent years, Laura faced declining health, and she was cared for at home with deep love, tenderness, and dignity.

Laura was preceded in death by her parents, Alexander and Mary Rocha; her siblings, David Rocha, Carol Allender and Daniel Rocha; and her beloved son, Bryan Keith Wagschal.

Laura is survived by her loving husband, Steve Wagschal; her daughters, Melissa Potter and Sara Albertson; her sons-in-law, Chad Potter and Richard Albertson; her daughter-in-law, Tana Wagschal; her beloved grandchildren, Ilo Albertson, Riley Potter, and Henley Potter; her sister, Mary Beth Stewart; and many extended family members and friends who will miss her dearly.

Laura was born Laura Lee Rocha in Davenport, Iowa, on January 6, 1956, to Alexander and Mary Rocha. From an early age, she was full of energy, determination, and spark. She spent 10 years as a gymnast, training and competing at a high level, traveling around the country and even trying out for the Olympics, coming close to that remarkable dream. Her talent was significant enough that she was offered a gymnastics scholarship to the University of Iowa, an extraordinary opportunity and a testament to her ability. Laura ultimately chose not to accept it, not because she lacked ambition, but because she knew her own heart. She was deeply devoted to the people she loved, and even then, she understood the kind of life she wanted to build.

Though she was gifted and dedicated, Laura was also deeply social by nature. The demands of competition had kept her traveling nearly every weekend, and as she grew older, she longed for a life rooted more closely in the people and relationships that mattered most to her, especially the boy who would become the love of her life.

Steve and Laura first met at the age of nine through Laura’s brother, Dan. For years, they knew of each other more than they truly knew each other, crossing paths here and there as children do. That changed one day in middle school when Laura suddenly appeared in front of Steve and his friend and asked Steve to dance. It was spontaneous and unexpected, so unexpected, in fact, that no one else was dancing at all. Steve was immediately struck by her smile and by the unmistakable sparkle and life in her eyes.

Together, Steve and Laura built not only a family, but a place of welcome. Their home was open to friends, relatives, and anyone who needed a soft place to land. Over the years, they also welcomed foreign exchange students from Italy, Germany, Brazil, and France, whom Laura loved as her own.

Laura was an extraordinary artist, though her creativity could never be contained by a single medium. She began working with pottery in high school and continued for nearly 50 years, shaping clay with the same patience, imagination, and quiet confidence she brought to so much of her life. She loved basket weaving, fiber arts, crocheting, spinning wool, and working with looms. She could turn raw materials into something beautiful, whether she was carving a lump of clay at the family table, collecting walnuts to use as a natural dye, crocheting lamps and purses, processing raw wool until it became yarn, or learning weaving in Arizona and the Grand Canyon region. Her family may not always have understood the vision at first, but when the final piece emerged, they were always amazed.

Laura also had a green thumb that could not be denied. Pulling up to her home meant being greeted by beautiful flowers, the kind that made it clear someone had poured love and attention into every corner. She grew tomatoes and raspberries that were best enjoyed fresh from the vine and remembered long after they were eaten.

As a mother, Laura was completely and wholeheartedly in. She was the kind of parent who said yes to trying, yes to showing up, and yes to figuring it out. If her children wanted to pursue something, Laura was there, ready to support them. She attended every game, traveled wherever she needed to travel, and made sure her children knew their interests mattered. She was not only present, she was invested. She worked full-time and still somehow kept the family moving, fed, organized, and cared for. An excellent cook, Laura filled her home with meals made with care, and there was always a plan, always a schedule, and always someone quietly making sure everyone had what they needed.

As a grandmother, Laura was every bit as devoted and present as she had been as a mother. Her grandchildren were a staple in her home, and she and Steve were always ready to have them over, cheer them on, and support whatever they were doing. Laura also shared her love of art with them, encouraging creativity, curiosity, and the joy of making something with their own hands. In doing so, she helped instill a creative spirit in each of them. Laura had a way of making each child feel loved, welcomed, and important, and her home remained a place where family gathered, grew, and belonged.

Laura leaves behind a legacy of beauty, belonging, and love in motion. She made art from clay, baskets from fiber, gardens from soil, meals from care, and home from open doors and willing hands. She taught her family that love is something you do: something you make, tend, organize, offer, and return to again and again. Her warmth, creativity, laughter, and steady devotion will live on in Steve, in her children and grandchildren, and in the many lives made softer, brighter, and more beautiful because she was here.

A visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at Halligan McCabe DeVries Funeral Home, 614 Main Street, Davenport, IA 52803. A funeral service will follow at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at the same location. A reception will follow at 12:00 p.m. at the Elks Club, 4400 West Central Park, Davenport, IA 52804, where friends and family can gather and share their favorite memories of Laura.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association in Laura’s honor.