Laura Runkel of Wellfleet died peacefully at home on Sept. 11, 2024. The cause was glioblastoma. She was 70.
The daughter of Harry and Joan Runkel, Laura was born on Aug. 6, 1954, in Riverside, Calif. Her family soon moved to Chippewa Falls, Wisc., where early on Laura set her eyes on a career in science.
After graduating from high school in 1972, Laura attended Arapahoe Community College in Littleton, Colo. and worked at a Denny’s in Denver. She moved on to the University of Colorado at Boulder, where she graduated with a degree in biology in 1980.
Laura came east and worked in the laboratories of Harvard University, where she formed many lifelong friendships. She was then accepted as a Ph.D. candidate at the historic Heidelberg University in Germany, so she crossed the Atlantic, learned to speak and conduct research in German, and earned a doctorate in microbiology in 1986.
She lived and worked in Heidelberg for over a decade, traveling around Europe and enjoying all it had to offer.
When she returned to Cambridge, Laura was employed by Biogen as a researcher in molecular biology, where her work was central to the development of the virus-inhibiting protein interferon.
Until her recent retirement, Laura worked remotely as an analyst of clinical trial data. Although she worked online, she was not secluded, as she spoke at scientific conferences around the world.
Laura married Boston multimedia artist Tom O’Connell in 2001, and they built a life that combined their passions for art, science, nature, and family. Laura was known for her gourmet meals, her fashion sense and appreciation of art, and her gentle nature and warm smile.
Laura and Tom moved to Wellfleet full-time in 2020. She loved the Outer Cape’s beaches and especially walking and swimming in the woodlands and ponds of the National Seashore. She volunteered at Wild Care in Eastham, work that spoke to her heart.
Laura is survived by her husband, Thomas O’Connell of Wellfleet, stepdaughter Mackenzie Knapp and husband Andy of South Hampton, N.H., grandchildren Teddy and Penny, sister Sherry Hahn of San Juan Capistrano, Calif., and brother Jim Runkel of Detroit Lakes, Minn.
Services will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21 at the Wellfleet Methodist Church, 246 Main St.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Laura’s honor can be made to Wild Care at wildcarecapecod.org.
