Laura Ann Pitts Aiken was born and raised in LaGrange, GA to the late Sherman and Rose Emma Pitts. She was the eldest of three children and graduated from East Depot High School.

She married the late Master Sergeant Malachi Aiken in 1957 when they relocated to Atlanta, Ga. After a brief employment with The Ford Motor Company, she spent the remainder of her career dedicated to food service. She even operated her own catering business for over 20 years. She worked at the Georgia World Congress Center for many years and eventually retired from the Georgia Building Authority in 1998.

She accepted Christ at an early age and also encouraged her children to dedicate their lives to Christ. She joined Mt. Ephraim Baptist Church in 1975 and participated in many church ministries. She was a member of the Senior Usher Board, as well as an adviser to the Junior Usher Board. She also bowled with the Mt. Ephraim Strikers Bowling League.

She led an active lifestyle, loved to travel and always encouraged her children to be independent. Her travels centered mostly around her love for bowling (participating in Women’s National Bowling League tournaments), her love for casinos (hitting up every casino across the country), and her love for all professional and collegiate sports (being a season ticket holder for the Atlanta Falcons for well over 30 years). In fact, many of her nicknames throughout the years came from her beloved tailgating days, most popularly called Snook and Fluff. She also loved singing, walking and fishing.

Even amidst being a four time cancer survivor, she left many fond memories to cherish. The Beautiful Laura Foundation was formed in honor of these cherished memories and her survivor’s spirit. Our aim is to support the early detection of cancers and chronic diseases in an effort to close the survivorship disparity gap among the uninsured and underprivileged communities of Georgia.