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Life story

" Laura Bynum – Mother, Author, and Beloved Spouse

Laura Elaine Bynum (Clark) was born on February 28, 1968, in Springfield, Illinois. She grew up and attended school in Springfield, spending much of her childhood exploring the grounds of her treasured family farm in Chesterfield, Illinois. She attended college at Millikin University, owned her own business in Springfield, and later, as a single mother, put herself through graduate school at the University of Illinois.

Laura met Eric Bynum in Champaign, Illinois, in 1998, and they were married the following year. Together they lived in Mahomet, Illinois, for nine years, where they welcomed twins into their family before moving to Culpeper, Virginia, in 2008. There they continued to raise their three children together.

Laura was a pillar of her community, generously volunteering her time for numerous local events, charities, and fundraisers. She was also a published author whose love of storytelling touched many lives. Her works included Shadow of the Sun, self-published in 2003 under the pen name Ada Jane, and Veracity, published by Gallery Books in 2010 under her own name. Laura was rarely without a book in her hands, a notebook filled with ideas for future stories, or a phone or computer nearby as she organized, planned, and built connections with others.

Laura passed away at home, surrounded by family, on May 24, 2026.

She is survived by her husband, Eric; her children, Alexandra, Alatéa, and Sam; her sister, Christina; her father, Walter; and her stepmother, Beverly. She will be deeply missed by her family and the many people whose lives she touched. "