Laura Marie Nielsen was born February 11, 1920, at Kadoka, South Dakota, the daughter of Niels P. and Laura R. (Chapman) Nielsen. She grew up in Kadoka, and in 1935 she moved with her parents to Custer, South Dakota, where they lived until 1937 when they moved to Astoria, Oregon. She graduated from Astoria High School. She then graduated from St. Mary’s Hospital School of Nursing in Astoria.
In 1942, she entered the U.S. Army as a registered nurse serving in Missouri, Africa, and Italy.
Laura was united in marriage to Arnold Goulding in Africa, and to this union was born a daughter, Jeanne. After her discharge from the military in 1944, she moved to Kadoka, South Dakota, where her daughter was born. She worked as a nurse in the Kadoka Hospital and Clinic until 1974.
Laura was united in marriage to Wayne C. Allen on August 5, 1952, in Kadoka, and to this union was born a son, Robert Allen. They made their home in Kadoka but farmed near Long Valley, South Dakota. From 1961 to 1968, they managed the Western Lanes Bowling House in Kadoka. They retired from farming in 1979 and continued to make their home in Kadoka.
Her husband, Wayne preceded her in death on June 13, 1985.
She continued to live in Kadoka, where she was active with the Kadoka Ambulance and also did intermittent nursing in the Kadoka area. On June 16, 1988, she retired from the Kadoka Ambulance, after ten years of service. In 1997 she moved to Denver, Colorado, to be near her daughter Jeanne Toro, where she resided until her death.
Laura was a member of the Kadoka Presbyterian Church, the American Legion Post #27, and the Auxiliary Unit #27, and a long time member of the Kadoka Community Betterment Association.
Grateful for having shared her life include her son Robert Allen of Bethel, Alaska; her daughter Jeanne Toro of Centennial, Colorado; two grandsons, Glenn Cochran and Robert Cochran; three great-grandsons, Justin Cochran, Matthew Cochran, and Joshua Cochran, and a great-granddaughter, Alyssa Cochran; and a host of other relatives and friends.
In addition to her husband Wayne, Laura was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers Ervin, Niels, and Andrew "Pete" Nielsen, and her sisters Anna Birkholz, Olive Luneberg, and Margaret Hedeen.
Visitation will be held one hour preceding the services at the church on Monday. Funeral services will be held 2:00 p.m. Monday, December 13, at the Kadoka Presbyterian Church, with Pastor Gary McCubbin officiating.
Interment with military honors will be in the Kadoka Cemetery.
A memorial is established to the Kadoka Ambulance Service. 

FUNERAL SERVICES
Monday, December 13, 2004
Presbyterian Church
Kadoka, South Dakota
PIANIST-VOCALIST
Luis A. Toro
USHERS
Robert Zickrick – Rusty Olney
PALLBEARERS
Bob Cochran – Glenn Cochran
Francis Vander May – Larry Parkinson
Joe Stratton – Allen Berry
INTERMENT
Kadoka Cemetery
Kadoka, South Dakota