Laura was born September 20, 1919, in Roff, Ky. Her parents, Eugene and Elizabeth Wheatley Henning, were descendants of Maryland pioneers in Kentucky. She was one of eight children. She attended the public schools of Breckinridge County, elementary grades through high school. After graduation, Laura went to St. Louis, Mo., finding employment in a factory for a few years. Laura entered the novitiate at Mount Saint Joseph in February 1945, and received the Ursuline habit and the name Sister Mary Laura in August.
Sister Mary Laura never taught in a classroom but found her apostolate in domestic service. Her first assignment as housekeeper was at Holy Trinity Convent in Fredericktown, Ky. She was loved and admired for her gentle demeanor and the ability to create a warm and welcoming home. She brought the wisdom of simple faith and childlike trust to her ministry. She was next assigned, for 12 years, to Sacred Heart Academy in Waterflow, N.M. She also was the chauffeur. Sister Mary Laura returned to Mount Saint Joseph to supervise the diet kitchen, preparing meals for patients in the infirmary.
On March 26, 1977, Sister Mary Laura and five other Sisters from the nursing staff in the infirmary had attended an all-day seminar in Louisville on health care of the elderly and the dying. On the way home, the Sisters pulled into an emergency lane on I-64, some distance from New Albany, Ind., to have their ‘brown bag’ supper. Sister Mary Laura, Sister David Marie Johnson and Sister Sheila Ann Smith left the car to get the food basket from the trunk. An oncoming car struck them. It was instant death for Sister Mary Laura and Sister David Marie.
With Bishop Henry J. Soenneker presiding, Father Anthony Ziegler, chaplain, and 27 other priests concelebrated the funeral Mass on March 29, 1977. Since it was a double funeral, the chapel was filled to overflowing with Sister’s family, many personal friends and friends of the Ursuline community. Because of the large crowd attending the ceremonies, the Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph were asked to remain in the chapel, praying the rosary, during the procession to the convent cemetery, where Sister Mary Laura and Sister David Marie are buried side by side.