Laura A. Kundrat, 71, St. Cloud

September 8, 1950 - January 17, 2022

A Celebration of Life will be on Saturday, January 22nd from 2-6 PM with a Remembrance Service at 4:00 PM at Williams Dingmann Funeral Home in St. Cloud for Laura Anne (Wartman) Kundrat, of St Cloud who passed away on January 17.

Laurie was born September 8, 1950, in New Brunswick, NJ, to Lloyd and Isabel (Reynolds) Wartman. Laurie was a world traveler, nature lover, gardener, certified Master Naturalist, voracious reader, Scrabble maven, bicyclist, tennis player, and scientist. We knew her as an incredible and caring mom, wife, grandma, aunt, cousin, and friend. She had a quietly vivacious energy and love for life and did not waste one minute of her 71 years.

Laurie grew up in Charleston, West Virginia, and spent much of her childhood exploring the woods with her brother, Carl, and competing on the local swim team. She graduated from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland with a degree in Biology. While at college, she met fellow student Frank Kundrat. She married Frank on September 3, 1977, in Westport, CT. They were married for 44 years. Laurie and Frank lived in Shaker Heights, Ohio, before moving to St. Cloud, MN, in 1983.

Laurie worked at Microbiologics in St. Cloud for 24 years until retiring in 2018. She was an expert in microbiology and, after retirement, Laurie continued to work for Microbiologics as a consultant and technical writer.

To say Laurie had an adventurous spirit is an understatement. Laurie traveled to 29 countries outside the U.S., and all 50 U.S. states. She visited at least 29 National Parks. Just some of Laurie's adventures—after age 50—include hiking Machu Pichu in Peru, cross-country skiing the Prince Haakon 15K race at the American Birkebeiner in Wisconsin, visiting her cousin's medical clinic in East Timor, exploring volcanoes in Iceland and Hawaii, walking on the Great Wall of China, hiking the Three Sisters in Australia, biking down a volcano in Ecuador, sea kayaking in the San Juan Islands in Washington, visiting a glacier in Alaska, and volunteering steadfastly with the ski patrol at Stearns County Quarry Park no matter the temperature.

We will deeply miss Laurie's gentle presence, her up-for-adventure spirit, her playfulness and sense of humor, and her extraordinary depth of caring for her family and friends. She showed her love through her actions every day, which included inventing new games for her grandchildren, making homemade memory books, contributing to local and global scientific nature studies, and planning get-togethers with her friends and family.

Laurie LOVED being a grandma, and was absolutely adored by her grandkids. Whether reading books, building towers, or making a snowman, she enjoyed every moment with her grandchildren.

Laurie helped us all through difficult times, and also celebrated our shared joys and little victories with the same immense love and caring presence. We will remember her every day.

Survivors include her husband, Judge Frank of St. Cloud; children, Bob (Sahar Tchaitchian) of Los Angeles, Lisa of Minneapolis, Kristy (Brian Downing) of Minneapolis; grandchildren Dahlia and Skye; and nephew Matt Wartman of Wisconsin Rapids, WI.

She is preceded in death by her parents, brother, Carl Wartman, and sister-in-law, Vicky Slater.