Lorraine “Laurie” Alberta Martin (nee Shomer) was born in North Hollywood, California January 17, 1946, to Rose Shomer (nee Grovman) and David “Dan” Daniel Shomer. She was the middle of three girls who grew up and lived in the San Fernando Valley. At a young age, Laurie wanted to become a nurse, and at the age of twenty-one, she graduated college as a Registered Nurse.
In her early twenties, she met Lawrence “Marty” Anthony Martin at a friend’s party, and they married after dating for ten months. In 1969, Laurie gave birth to a son Michael Casey Martin and in 1971, a daughter named Catherine Erikson (nee Martin). Laurie’s children have grown up to become successful and productive citizens caring deeply about their country.
Laurie was known for her intelligence, strong work ethic, and ambition. She loved the holidays, shopping, traveling, reading furiously, watching scary movies, playing board games, and spending time with her three beloved grandchildren, Michael Anthony, Isaura Rose, and David Amalric Martin. Laurie also recently became a great-grandmother to Michael ‘Liam’ Martin, born in September 2020.
Laurie worked for 12 years at Kaiser Hospital in Panorama City in the pediatric department. She then worked for over 27 years in the Student Health Center at California State University Northridge (CSUN). After divorcing, Laurie picked up a job as a weekend charge nurse for Juvenile Hall and fell in love with helping the children there. Soon she started donating her time teaching health education classes to probation department staff and young inmates. Laurie didn’t stop there. She also ran a monthly parents’ support group for the Jeopardy Program, a Los Angeles Police Department-inspired gang prevention and intervention unit. Laurie devoted her life to helping others, especially children in need. Laurie’s juvenile kids loved receiving the attention they never received at home. Laurie made her kids feel important and cared for and was known for hugging and laughing with her juveniles.
In 1980, Laurie rode horseback with her daughter when her horse bucked her off his back. She sustained a significant back injury that would later require surgery. During her later years, Laurie had back surgery and contracted a severe staff infection that took almost a year to control. She went on to have hip surgery and two other knee surgeries. Despite these procedures, Laurie continued to travel and live life to its fullest. So when it was time to replace her other hip, she thought nothing of it. Her last hip replacement proved to be highly challenging and ended up causing her to have four long-term staff infections they could never fully control. Laurie succumbed to her disease on October 24, 2021. She had been living in a board and care in Victorville, California, near the home of her son, his wife, and two of her grandchildren.
Laurie’s parents and an older sister Donna Fried Close from Florida, are preceded in death. Her two children survive her, three grandchildren, a great-grandson, a nephew, Arno Featherstone (formerly Ron Fried), in Seaside, California, and a younger sister, Sandra Lewis, in Las Vegas, Nevada.