A Tribute to Laura Acuna
It is with great sadness that I share with you the passing of Laura Acuna.
Laura retired as my housekeeper in 2018 after 32-years. If you follow this blog regularly, I am sure many of you remember her. In whatever role she took on she stood apart as someone special. Over the years, Laura created many of the gorgeous holiday settings in my homes - every one of them different and every one of them beautiful. She set amazing tables for my parties and dinners - carefully selecting each plate and folding each napkin. During warmer months, when I welcomed select groups for tours of my gardens, Laura prepared the most delicious pomegranate tea - and lots of it because guests always came back for more. Laura picked flowers and made the most delightful arrangements. She picked many of the fruits and harvested buckets of vegetables. And she loved my pets - she was often seen walking my dogs, grooming my cats, and talking sweetly to my canaries. Her presence is felt everywhere here at my farm. We will miss her zest for life, her talents and skills, her humor, and her contagious smile. Laura was a genuinely warm individual, a loving wife, a caring mother and grandmother, and our great friend. Our thoughts are with her husband Victor, her children Laura and Daniel, her sister Maria, her grandchildren, and all those who loved her so dearly.
Here are just some of the photos I've gathered of Laura, enjoy.
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- This photo was taken in 2019 after she retired. We had just enjoyed a delicious lunch with her family in Westport, Connecticut.
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- Here I am with Laura, her husband, Victor, and her grandsons.
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- This is a photo of my Bedford staff on the steps to my Winter House kitchen. We gathered together to celebrate Laura’s retirement after more than three decades working with me.
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- Sanu, Laura, and I worked on many projects in my kitchen. Here we are preparing the tomatoes from the garden for making sauce.
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- Laura and I had so much fun over the years. We laughed quite a bit.
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- A friendly kiss on her last day working at the farm.
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- This photo was taken in the summer of 2017 when Laura and I visited my former Turkey Hill home in Westport, Connecticut.
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- On this day, Laura was busy picking blueberries in the blueberry patch. This photo was taken by my late sister, Laura Plimpton. It was one of Laura Acuna’s favorite pictures.
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- And here is Laura with Snoop!
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- Laura often helped with my blogs – here she is posing with my French Bulldog Sharkey while she polished the silver.
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- Here’s an early photo from 2010. Laura cleans the freshly laid eggs with a damp cloth.
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- She would often be seen walking the dogs around the farm – Laura was very active.
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- Laura was a big help with magazine shoots. Here she is in 2011 getting Bartok’s attention for the camera.
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- During garden tours, I often provide refreshments on my terrace parterre. Laura was always ready to serve them with her big smile.
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- Here she is taking care of a canary’s nails. After catching each bird, Laura clipped its nails, one by one. She was an excellent bird wrangler.
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- Laura and my driver, Carlos Villamil, were close friends.
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- Here is Laura with Pete, and Chhewang at one of our many staff parties at the farm.
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- Alex, who worked at my East Hampton home, posed with Laura for this photo in 2011. My beloved French Bulldog, Francesca, is in Laura’s lap.
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- Laura loved my dogs. Here she is with Francesca and Sharkey. She groomed them, walked them, and kept them out of trouble.
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- As many of you know, Laura did most of the holiday decorating. She had such a knack and keen eye.
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- Laura loved to help with everything around the farm. Here, she is covering one of horse carriages after cleaning it with Sanu.
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- Sanu and Laura prepare coffee in the stable for a big tour of the farm in 2013.
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- This photo was just before a bath – for the dog, of course.
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- Laura always made the most refreshing pomegranate punches. Here she is ladling it for one of our guests.
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- Laura “teaches” Francesca all about red currants.
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- Laura was involved with every holiday – her decorating touch was magical. She learned a lot by watching our magazine editors and stylists. She always made every party at my home beautiful.
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- Laura Acuna was so lovingly attentive with all of my animals. Here she is with Vivaldi in 2014.
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- Laura was very strong. Here she is holding a peck of apples.
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- In this photo, Laura places tinsel on an ornamental tree. She decorated hundreds of Christmas trees over the years – many of them were photographed for my magazine.
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- Laura organized my basement full of plates, dishes, glasses and other tableware, cooking tools, and baking essentials.
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- One Easter, Laura and I are seen in my kitchen – both very focused on our tasks.
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- Here is Laura before one of the big dinner parties at my home. She is standing with Moises and my housekeeper, Sanu. On the counter are two bisteeya dishes.
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- Laura always included flowers at every table. Her creativity and talent for setting the most delightful table scapes was unmatched.
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- Cecilia Butris, who worked at our New York City offices, sits with Laura during an employee luncheon at the farm.
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- Another great photo of some of my farm staff in 2015 – Ang, Chhewang, Laura, Pete, Chhiring, Phurba, and Wilmer.
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- Fernando, Laura, and my driver, Andres, pose for this snapshot.
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- Sanu and Laura picked many almonds on this day. It was a process to pick them by hand into a bucket and remove the outer husks one by one.
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- Here is Laura serving homemade applesauce, eggs, apples, and warm apple cider.
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- In my basement, Laura prepares the children’s Easter baskets just before my annual Easter egg hunt and luncheon.
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- This photo was taken in 2016. Laura is ready to pick the first strawberries of the season.
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- Every photo of Laura has her smiling. It was infectious. Guests loved greeting her and learning how long she had been working with me. Here she is with another large bowl of her well-loved pomegranate iced-tea.
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- Laura was always the first to get the blueberries when they were sweet and ready for picking.
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- Every summer, Laura helped harvest vegetables from the garden. Here she is cleaning one of the beautiful leeks.
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- And here she is after picking gourds and pumpkins.
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- Laura also got her hands dirty picking potatoes – she loved to do so many things.
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- Another staff photo – this one from 2016. Laura loved everyone on our farm crew.
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- And here is Laura with her grandson, Lucas. Lucas and Laura were extremely close. She was so very proud of his accomplishments.
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- Whenever you caught her, Laura was always smiling.
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- Here she is picking currants in front of my greenhouse.
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- And here she is at the raspberry bushes.
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- Laura knew where every bowl and napkin was stored – her memory was impeccable.
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- Here’s another Christmas tree lovingly decorated by Laura.
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- Lucas and Laura took this photo during the holidays. Never did Laura decorate a room the same way twice – every one was always different.
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- You would often catch Laura in my Winter House kitchen. Her presence is still felt there.
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- Here she is with my friend, Chef Pierre Schaedelin. They worked on many dinners together.
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- A wave and a smile from my Winter House door during the porch renovation.
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- Here she is with Patrick Tierney, a member of my security team.
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- Back in the basement – this time, organizing my wine cellar.
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- Our lovely Laura greeting guests during another tour of the gardens.
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- She always had such a gentle touch. Her grandson, Lucas, captured this photo as Laura held one of the many chicks hatched in my kitchen.
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- Here she is with my head gardener, Ryan McCallister after a big harvest of squash.
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- A fall photo with the pumpkins.Laura decorated indoors and out.
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- And here is Laura at the servery sink, polishing a silver tray.
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- Laura and Carlos stop for this sweet photo during her retirement party in December 2018.
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- And here’s another with Enma Sandoval.
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- And one with Carlos “Dos”. The entire team on my farm is very close.
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- We all love you, Laura, and will miss you very much. Laura B. Acuna – July 10, 1939 – March 19, 2022.
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