The most wonderful legacy you could ever leave is Megan. She is a tribute to your motherhood and is a lasting reminder of what your life taught us all. Thank you for Megan.

I just had a good cry with Amy. Missing you on your birthday and everyday.

I can't believe it's been a whole year. I miss you so much.

This continues to suck Mom. I just listened to a voicemail you left me in December and responded like I was talking to you. I miss you. I wish we could talk. I just miss you so much.

With profound sadness and a heavy heart that I am saying good-bye to you, Laura, right now only sorrow fills my heart …..

To this day, I still could not comprehend the news of your sudden passing. At times, I almost felt that I heard your flip-flopping down the hallway to the copier, your quiet singing of whatever melodies you were in the mood for, or you would just drop in my cube and said “let’s talk”… also remembering our celebrating your birthday Taco Tuesday lunch (rare for you) and you drank Margarita (rare for you) and we had your favorite Lemon Meringue Pie on Thursday in consideration that you were not supposed to work on Friday …….

When I knew you so many years ago, I would never have realized how connected we would be, knew you best after we moved to Lake Forest. Your loyalty to SimSci was unparalleled and it reflected in your passion and quality of work and the respect from people worked with you around the globe. I was not a fan at the beginning but I became a convert after we worked closely together and knew you as a friend. You certainly set me straight and kept me on my toes on many occasions. Well, in turn, you also came into my way of thinking; as you often said, you finance people; we compromised and agreed to disagree. For the ups & downs throughout the many years we remained with the SimSci group, you were one of the constant, our corner stone and the glue. Now we have a void …..

You were the one excel with words, not me …. Now I am just speechless …. No, No, No, No, No. I forgot your exact explanation why “No” to be repeated so many times, remembered only that we sat at Karen’s cube and it did not mean NO for 5 times. Maybe I’ll remember eventually. I heard Tobias said No, No, No the other day. I chuckled and was in tears, thinking that this is your legacy to all of us. You would always be remembered, always …..

You would be greatly missed – your wealth of knowledge, your random wisdom, your quirky sense of humor, your life lesson, your brutal honesty, your fearless outspokenness, your motherly advice, your compassion, the coffee break, the kitchen chat, the long & odd hours online “green” bubble, your singing, and even your mini lecture, your argumentativeness, your sarcasm, your prediction of doom on everything ……

Some of your famous words
It is what it is
This is how it is going to be/work
I am old; I am entitled to say things
WhatSoEver, WhatEver
Don’t get me wrong
Just kidding
Kiddo
It is a joke……

I feel blessed that our paths had crossed for the last 21 years. We shared joy, laughter, fun, happiness, sadness, sorrow, tears, good times, bad times, dance, comradeship, friendship …. You will forever have a place in my heart, right next to Michele ….

Your little Missy, Amy

I miss you so much Mom.

I’ve been trying to decide what I wanted to write on mom’s memorial page. Obviously I am still in shock that she is gone and the fact that I am referring to her in the past tense is still very bizarre.

I met Laura almost 11 year ago in her little apartment in Yorba Linda. Like any first time meeting of your future in-laws, I was a bit nervous about meeting her. Once there, she went out of her way to make me feel at ease. I think in the end, she was probably more nervous about meeting me than I was to meet her. Ever since that first meeting, we had a really good relationship. She would often joke that she likes me (and vice versa) more than her kids.

I was so interested to see how she would be with the boys when they were born. As you’d expect, she was a natural. I especially loved seeing her with the boys this past year as they are old enough now to interact with adults. She was so patient with the boys and they loved when “Grandma Laura” would come over, and not just because she’d bring half of Toys R Us with her every other visit.

When I think about Laura’s passing, it does make me quite upset. I’m upset that I won’t be able to spend holidays and birthdays with her. I’m upset that she won’t be able to see the boys grow. I’m upset that my boys won’t have their grandmother 20 minutes away and the fact that at some point we’ll have to explain to them that she’s gone. I’m upset that the woman I love more than anything in this world is in so much pain. But most of all I’m upset that this woman, who has had a very tough life, but who seemingly, was enjoying this latest chapter, isn’t going to experience that joy anymore.

If Laura was here, I’m sure she’d say something like “don’t worry about me kiddo”. I’ll do my best to do that, by keeping her memory alive for our family.

I have many great memories of Laura since Meg is one of my lifelong best friends. She was always so kind and welcoming and willing to discuss anything and engage in great conversations. I remember sharing many things with her when Meg and I had so many high school and college classes together...not just academic stuff, but real life situations and experiences. She had a lot of insight and wisdom to offer and a genuine love and warm heart toward others, myself included.  As time has passed I really only saw her at big events...weddings, graduations, Meg's baby shower...but she was always on my list when I send out Xmas cards. She was such a bright lady with a lot of love that she obviously had for her children and grandchildren. And now I know that the apple didn't fall far from the tree when I read that she used to read the dictionary....um, hello Meg right there! Lol...Laura, you will be missed and thank you for giving me one of my best friends in life! xoxo Stef

Laura, she was my mom at work. She played an important role why I got the job at SimSci. I owe her big time!  Although we never saw each other outside of work, she knew what my family was up to, she was always there to listen to my stories of my family dramas and family celebrations. She made it easy for me to talk to her about anything. When I started working from home, I missed being able to just walked into her cubicle to chat. We’ve exchanged emails for the last 4 years and the only thing I regret is that I should’ve sent her more. 

My fondest memory of her is when I was pregnant with my first child, she would always talk to my pregnant belly. And so when I brought my newborn to the office, I saw that my son had that instant connection with her because her voice was very familiar to him. Laura, thank you for being part of my life. Thank you for all the talks that we’ve shared where I picked up a lot of life lessons. I will miss you saying how “perfect” my kids are. Love you forever and you have a special place in my heart.

I am so sad to hear the news.Working in China, APAC, I received many emails from Laura. She is always very helpful, kind ,supportive and considerate. I recieved Laura's last working email to me on Dec.3,2014. Only 44 days later, she left us forever. The pain from my heart is so clear and deep.

Laura, thank you so much for every email you wrote to me. Miss you very much.

And my best wishes to Megan, Adam and her family in the difficult time.

Thoughts from China
XiaoYan

Sorry to hear the sad news & my best wishes go out to Laura's family. Worked with Laura from a distance, being in the UK, but she was always helpful.

Laura, we started off as co-workers going through the motions but as work went on and life happened we grew nothing but closer and stronger. I learned to understand your passionate ways of expressing yourself in your work and admired the abundance of knowledge you carried and wanted to share every day. I’m going to miss so much about your random teachings; Mr. Ed, The Ides of March and rhymes beyond rhymes. I’ll definitely miss you singing Christmas carols in the middle of summer or how you would say the beat to your walk was Jingle Bells. :) I’m so happy we could share on our experiences in New York and through google maps you were able to show me the streets you grew up on 
I thank you for always being by my side career wise and personally. 

Thank you for the laughs, the cries, the dances… the list goes on and on of how much I will miss you and everything I am so thankful for you.
I’ll always carry your advice with me and I’ll never forget the hugs we shared.

Thinking of you in this difficult time Megan, Adam and family.

Love,
Diane

"My best friend, my sister, my second mom, my mentor." There is not a big enough word to explain how much she means to me. She was always there for me from divorce, to babies, birthday parties, marriage and even a tattoo; to help guide me through this journey called life. I am forever grateful for her and her wisdom and my family is forever thankful for the delicious meals I make on Easter and Christmas because they all came from her recipe box. The laughs we have shared together will forever be with me.

Funny Story~
I was sharing an office with Laura when I first met her and one morning when I walked in, she was talking on the phone in a really cute voice, "cooing and babbling," to a little baby girl. I said, "Laura, I didn't know you had a granddaughter." She was replied back with, "I don't, I have a grand kitty named Sophie and my daughter makes me talk to her on the phone!" I fell off my chair from laughing so hard. It was that moment I couldn't wait to meet Megan and looking forward to our friendship building.

Laura~ I love you always & forever and thank you so much for being in my life. If it wasn't for you, I would probably be miserable and behind bars. Thank you for guiding me to happiness. My cup is full because of you!

Laura, I met you only at Megan's wedding, but I know and love your daughter like she were my own. You must have been a wonderful mother to have influenced her to be the strong, vibrant, loving, and wise person that she is. The world thanks you for sharing the love, through Megan, to the rest of us. Rest in peace and let us know once in a while that you're still around.

Laura was so fun and happy, so full of life and joy.
I just want to remember those so good moments laughing together when I had the great chance to meet her face to face in Lake Forest or during the SimSci events in California …
I miss her ...

Thoughts from France

Jeremy

Laura was one of that person that bring a smile in me when I think about her. Thanks to give me the opportunity to meet you and share 14 years with a wonderful, kind and smart person like you. I will miss you a lot. You will be always present in my memories, thoughts but most specially you will be always live in my heart.

Laura was a wonderful person. Always kind, helpful, supportive with a great humor. It was a pleasure to work with her. My thoughts are with her family.

I have so many wonderful memories of Laura, I don't even know where to begin. I spent so many nights at her house in my pre-teen and teen years and I always appreciated how she made me feel welcomed and loved. I always felt like I was part of the family and she was a second mom to me. I loved and admired her wit and sense of humor. She created two amazing kiddos and it is because of her I have Megan in my life. One of the greatest best friends a girl could ever ask for. For that, I am so grateful. Through the years Laura and I have been able to connect and catch up at various major life events like graduations, weddings, and baby showers. I am so thankful for that time and those memories. All you have to do is look at her photos and you can see the intense love she felt for her kids and her grandkids. I will always have a special place in my heart for her, and these words don't even come close to expressing my fondness of her. Thank you, Laura, for the blessings in your life that continue to bless mine. You will be missed.

Laura was a co-worker, mentor and friend for most of my life. She was with me for so many important events in my life. The day I met my husband, the day I was married and the day my first son was born. Laura was my strongest supporter, my biggest cheerleader. She and I were opposite in so many ways, but it worked for us. I think we complemented each other. She was always cautious and reflective. I am zero to sixty. She was the tortoise to my hare. She was Ethel to my Lucy. She slowed me down. I sped her up. She kept me from doing stupid things. I encouraged her to do stupid things. Whether it was walking in the rain to get sliders from a food truck or conning a valet to give us a ride in a golf cart, Laura was always reticent but had a blast in the end. I can’t imagine life without my voice of reason. She will always be in my heart. Love you friend.