Elizabeth Laird, the “Hug Lady”, passes

The sad news comes from Fort Hood that Elizabeth Laird, known locally as the “Hug Lady” who sent the soldiers there off on their deployments and then welcomed them home with hug, has passed on at the age of 83 years old.

“This is my way of thanking them for what they do for our country,” Laird told FoxNews.com in November from her hospital bed in Copperas Cove, Texas. “I wasn’t hugging in 2003. I used to just shake their hands. But one day, a soldier hugged me, and that’s the way it started.”

Soldiers who felt Laird’s kindness are rallied to her side, setting up a GoFundMe page that raised nearly $95,000 toward Laird’s medical bills.

On the fundraising site, dozens of soldiers donated varying amounts of money and shared their memories of meeting Laird.

“You were there when I left in 2008 for Iraq and then again when I returned in 2009,” wrote Michael Singleton. “I was nervous because I had never been outside of the country and just lost my Grandmother that one hug made a huge difference that year, because it reminded me how my grandmother was.”

Thanks to MustangCryppie for the link.

Category: Blue Skies