SPRINGFIELD – Laura E. (Plante) Gelinas, 86, of the Sixteen Acres section of Springfield, was Called Safely Home on Tuesday, May 2, 2023. She passed into Eternal Life at Bear Mountain at West Springfield surrounded by the care and comfort of her loving family. She was born in Springfield on March 31, 1937, a beloved daughter of the late Joseph A. and Exilia M. (Boisjolie) Plante. She was raised and educated in Springfield and had lived in Ludlow for many years before moving to Sixteen Acres in 1974 where she lived the remainder of her life. She was employed as a Cook at the former Forbes and Wallace Department Store and J.C. Penney’s, both in Springfield. She was a communicant of Saint Catherine of Siena Church in Springfield. Many years ago, she had worked as a Candy Striper at Mercy Hospital in Springfield and was a longtime foster mother for many children at the former Brightside for Children and Families in West Springfield. Her greatest joy was spending time with her family and her many friends. She was predeceased by her beloved husband and best friend, Lawrence A. “Larry” Gelinas who was Called Home on February 27, 2002. They were married on September 6, 1958 at Saint Thomas Aquinas Church in Springfield and were blessed with over 43 years of happiness together. She leaves her loving daughter, Michelle M. Gelinas and her fiancé, Joao A. Ferreira, of Chicopee; her loving daughter in law, Patricia A. Gelinas of Springfield; her eight cherished grandchildren, her three cherished great grandchildren; her dear brother, Paul Plante and his wife, Annette, of Springfield; and her many dear nephews, nieces, cousins, extended family members and friends. In addition to her parents and her husband, she was predeceased by her loving son, Paul L. Gelinas who was Called Home on November 12, 2021; her two dear brothers, George Plante and his wife, Doris, and Eugene Plante and his wife, Betty; and her three dear sisters, Cecile Sears and her husband, William, Sister Jeannette Plante of the Sisters of Holy Cross and Sister Clarise Plante of the Sisters of Saint Joseph. Her funeral services will be private and her burial will be private at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Springfield. There are no visiting hours. Her funeral arrangements are entrusted to the St. Pierre-Phaneuf Springfield Chapels, (413-737-1177), 7 Chapin Terrace, Springfield, MA 01107. In lieu of flowers, her family requests that memorial donations be made in her memory to Saint Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 Saint Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-9959. For more details and to leave her family condolence messages, please visit: www.stpierrephaneuf.com