Laurel’s parents, Wayne and Elaine Hotelling (donning their Laurel shirts), pose with Laurel’s long-time friends Jen Meyers (left) and Nancy Barr. Photos by Damian Sebouhian

SILVER CREEK — Friends, family and community members all gathered at the Fireman’s Association Building on Sunday afternoon to celebrate the extraordinary life of one of Chautauqua County’s more memorable personalities, Laurel Hotelling.

The room was decorated with a plethora of photographs and other memorabilia of Laurel and her family, pamphlets were provided as attendees were encouraged to write down their memories, and a slide show of over 400 pictures was shown on a loop.

It was almost as if Laurel were there in person, given the fountain of collective admiration flowing through the hall.

At approximately 3 p.m., Laurel’s father Wayne Hotelling invited people to stand up and tell stories about the woman who touched so many lives.

“I used to work with Laurel at The Resource Center,” said Jen Meyers. “She was my buddy. We used to like to dance a lot. I called her my little buddy, my munchkin and Tinker Bell and I absolutely loved her. She was a wonderful person with a great big heart. Sometimes the best packages are small ones.”

A nurse who had tended to Laurel’s needs for a period of time lauded the relationship between Laurel and her parents.

“Over the few months I took care of her, there wasn’t one day when the Hotellings weren’t there to support her,” he said.

Nicky Piccolo spoke of her experiences growing up with Laurel as friends and neighbors of the Hotellings.

Nicky was five years old when she first met Laurel.

“I remember meeting Diane for the first time, Laurel’s sister,” Nicky recounted. “When I saw Laurel, I had never met anyone with Down Syndrome before and I asked Diane, ‘what’s the matter with your sister’ and she said ‘Oh she’s just handicapped’ and I said ‘Oh, okay’ and that was the beginning and the end of the conversation about that.

“(From there) it was never about what made Laurel different, it was about what made Laurel special and what made Laurel our friend, because that’s what she was.”

Nicky’s father, former Silver Creek mayor, Nick Piccolo, spoke next, fighting back tears.

“I never saw her when she didn’t have a smile on her face and I know in the end she went through a lot of suffering and pain,” Piccolo said. “We feel now that she’s in a better place. She’s with God and being shared up there with her friends and family and she’s waiting and preparing a place for the rest of us.”

Laurel was described by other speakers as a huge Buffalo Sabres fan and the people who would attend games with her shared how her spirit was just as, if not more, entertaining than the games themselves.

“She would celebrate and high-five everybody during power plays,” one friend said of Laurel’s enthusiastic cheering displays.

Wayne Hotelling told the crowd that Laurel showed great courage in the face of suffering.

“Back in 1991 Laurel was in the hospital and she was there for 100 days,” Wayne said. “Later she was there for 123 days in 2017. I can tell you that the courage that that young lady showed …whatever she went through, the nurses and doctors had nothing but the best to say about her.

“We were fortunate to be granted a young baby, a little girl, a young lady and a mature adult that we spent most of our time with.

“When she went to live in a group home, I don’t think she was actually that ready for it, but within about two months she considered herself the assistant manager.

“That’s the way she was.”

Wayne Hotelling thanked everyone for their support, especially Laurel’s care givers and others who wrote poems in honor of Laurel.

“I would give anything to have her here standing next to me like she always would during the beginning of Laurel Run, but she is back with the person who actually gave her life: God. Laurel has her wings. That’s exactly what (her mother) Elaine said that day when she passed away. It’s tough, but it’s not negative. It’s positive. She had a wonderful life and she uplifted so many other people.”

It was announced during the memorial that there are plans in motion to make a statue commemorating Laurel’s life. More information will be provided about the project at a later date.