Laura Christine Venable's Obituary
Laura Christine Venable, called Christine by friends and family, passed away from the effects of dementia on May 11, 2025, in her home of Fallbrook, California with her husband and son by her side.
Christine was born on February 25, 1951 in Pittsburgh, PA, to Robert McGregor and Anna "Sandy" Babyak. She was raised in Dormont, PA by Sandy and her husband Michael Babyak alongside her brothers Bob and Larry.
Christine graduated from Keystone Oaks High School in 1969 and went on to earn a Bachelor's Degree in History from West Virginia Wesleyan College. She moved to Denver, Colorado where she met and married her spouse Russell Venable on June 20th, 1980. The couple had 2 children, Hunter Venable and Catherine Osterritter.
Christine enjoyed hosting dinners with Russ for their friends and family. She enjoyed collecting cookbooks, often reading a new one like one would read a novel, and watching cooking shows on TV.
She was a passionate supporter of the arts, participating in drama and music groups across her life. From playing flute in the school band, to touring with the choir in college, and performing with the handbell choir at the Methodist church as an adult. She enjoyed attending concerts with her son Hunter.
Another strong passion of Christine's was baseball. She was raised a Pittsburgh Pirate's fan by her season ticket-holding parents. She encouraged this interest in her children by taking them to Colorado Rockies games growing up. Once she moved to California, she even served as an usher at the ballpark for the San Diego Padres. She enjoyed watching and listening to the Pirates games right up to her passing.
A maybe lesser known interest and hobby of Christine's was sewing. She created dresses and other clothes for her daughter, cross stitch ornaments as gifts for friends and family, and even started up an Etsy store from her CA home to sell her crocheted crafts.
She loved travel. Never lost, but rather "exploring", a phrase she shared with her dad and brothers. During the last decade she documented her many adventures with her husband Russ as they explored up and down the West Coast, Chicago, Hawaii and more.
Christine is survived by her loving husband Russ Venable, son Hunter Venable (Cheryl), daughter Catherine Osterritter (Luke), brother Larry Babyak (Nancy), sister-in-law Donna McGregor, and four grandchildren (Harper, Isabel, Lochlan, and Everett).
Christine is preceded in death by her father Robert McGregor, step-father Michael "Mike" Babyak, mother Anna "Sandy" Babyak, and older brother Robert "Bob" McGregor. She will be laid to rest alongside Mike and Sandy.
Visitation will be held Friday, at 4:00 PM at Jefferson Memorial Funeral Home.
The service for Laura Christine Venable will be held on Saturday, at 10:00 AM at Jefferson Memorial Mausoleum.
Burial: Jefferson Memorial Park, Pittsburgh, PA.
Memorial donations can be made in Laura's name to the United Methodist Committee on Relief (https://umcmission.org/ways-to-give/)
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