Dr. Laura Lee Bishop McFarland was born in Darlington County, SC on May 12th, 1940, as the second youngest of 13 children to the late Hugh and Marie Bishop.

She went home to be with the Lord on Thursday, February 20, 2025.

She was educated in the Darlington County Public School system and graduated from Rosenwald Elementary and High School. As a high school student, she loved to play basketball. She went on to attend the District of Columbia Bible Institute (Associate's in Biblical Education), International Seminary (Bachelor's of Arts in Biblical Education), Liberty University (Bachelor of Science in Psychology), Maple Springs Baptist Seminary (Master's in Biblical Counseling), and Carolina University of Theology (PhD in Counseling Psychology).

Laura fell in love with her childhood friend Jerome. They married in 1958 and from this union of 57 years, they were blessed with four children: Debbie, Tammy, Jerome II, and Trudy. A woman of conviction, Laura had an unparalleled devotion to her family and serving the Lord. She was a faithful member of New Hopewell Baptist Church and a lifelong missionary, student, and biblical scholar. After marriage, she served as the First Lady of Evergreen Baptist Church, Washington, DC and Hartsville Bible Baptist Church, Hartsville, SC and as a dedicated counselor, teacher, pianist, and matriarch of the family.

She was the reigning UNO champion in the family and loved Bingo, Scrabble and Judge Judy. Nobody made chicken and rice better than her and nobody was unwelcome in her home. She always had jokes to share, loved her siblings, nieces and nephews, and was an exceptional mentor and friend to many.

Laura was preceded in death by her loving husband Jerome, her daughter Tammy, and 11 of her siblings. She leaves to mourn her sister Marguerite; her daughter Debbie (Michael), son-in-law Fred, son Jerome (Charlene), and daughter Trudy (Stanley); her grandchildren Michael (Detra), Larry, ShaShawna (Tyrone), David, Jerica, Timothy Jared, Jazzlyn (Maurice), Laura, Stanley II; her great-grandchildren Sierra, Noah, Kennedy, Ember, and Raegan; her daughters in Christ Betty Dixon (Harold) and Claudia Holland; and a host of grandchildren-by-love and truly loved nieces, nephews, family, church family, and friends.

Visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. until Service at 11:00 a.m., on Saturday, March 1 at Evergreen Baptist Church, 325 -55th Street, NE, Washington, DC 20019; Interment National Harmony Memorial Park.