Laurel Diane Stender

Laurel "Lo" Stender, 42, of Ridgecrest, CA, passed away on June 7, 2024, in Tulare County, California while canyoneering near the Kern River. She was born on April 6, 1982 at Camp Pendleton, and grew up in Barstow California.

Everyone loved Laurel.  She treated everyone like family.  Many people had accepted her into their closest inner circles as if she was their daughter, their sister, or their best friend.  Laurel was valiant to her beliefs and values as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  She was fiercely loyal to her family, friends, country, and teammates.  Laurel was the glitter that made everything better with a joyful disposition, the best dad jokes, and childlike enthusiasm for everything she did.

From an early age it was clear that Laurel was born to run.  In kindergarten she outran her entire class, later joined the school running club.  In high school she ran cross country winning the Desert Sky League title and held a mile time of 5:15. She earned a scholarship to run cross country for San Jose State University.  While in college, she was recruited to play Rugby for the SJSU club team.  She later played internationally for the USA Women's Rugby team as well as for the Las Vegas Slots Rugby team and later became a rugby referee.

Laurel had countless outdoor adventures and was encouraging to family and friends who were brave enough to try and keep up.  She loved canyoneering, backpacking, ultra marathon running, and screaming across the desert on her ATV.

Laurel is the beloved daughter of David and Linda Stender.  She is survived by her siblings Sandra (Todd) Burt, Shaunna (Richard) Serafin, Warren (Melinda) Stender, Stephen (Staci) Stender, and Constance Stender.

Memorial services in honor of Lo Stender will be held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints located at 1031 South Norma Street, Ridgecrest, CA 93555 on June 29th, 2024.  Services will begin at 12:00 noon.   Closed casket visitation at 11:00.