Eunice DeCourcy Lasker

Eunice DeCourcy Lasker passed away on February 15, 2023, in Greenville S.C. She was born Eunice Mary DeCourcy on May 25, 1925, in St. Petersburg, Florida. She was the daughter of pioneer farmers in Kansas and Oklahoma, who traded their farm in the Plains for an orange grove in Florida. Her mother was widowed during the Depression and raised two daughters alone. Eunice completed high school, then worked in the personnel office of a shipyard in Tampa during WWII. In 1946, immediately after turning the required age of 21, she joined the U.S. Army as a civilian and was assigned to a posting in Tokyo. After completion of her two-year assignment in Japan, she then joined the U.S. State Department of Foreign Service and was assigned to the American Embassy in London. This posting allowed her to travel extensively in Europe. In 1950 the State Department assigned her to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, and she found herself back in Japan. There she met her husband, Matthias Lasker, who was also a Foreign Service employee at the American Embassy. They married in June of 1952 at the American Consulate in Yokohama. A year later their daughter was born, and they soon returned to the U.S. Their years in the U.S. had them living in many locations as Matt's career as a Federal employee took them to Alabama, Ohio & Maryland. After retirement, they traveled extensively, visiting all 50 states and over 50 foreign countries. They moved to Greenville, S.C. last year in order to be closer to their children.


Eunice was a self-educated woman who never had the opportunity to go to college, but who could have qualified for a Ph.D. in many fields. She was a gourmet cook, organizer extraordinaire, voracious reader, community volunteer, and avid world traveler. She never met an animal she didn't love, and dogs adored her. Most importantly, she was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She is survived by her husband, Matthias Lasker of Greenville, S.C.; her daughter Sonia Hodgdon (Thad) of Brevard, N.C.; her son Eric Lasker (Janice) of Greenville, S.C.; 6 grandchildren; 3 great-grandchildren and one expected in May; and her sister Winifred Lush of Peoria, IL.


Eunice will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date, and there is no service planned at this time. She will be greatly missed by her loving family and many friends.


Donations would be appreciated to your local SPCA animal welfare organization in her memory.