Laura Ann Fehrenback “Lauri” was born in Detroit, MI on August 23, 1958 and died on December 2, 2023 in Jackson, MI. Lauri grew up with her two sisters in a strict Catholic household. As a girl Lauri attended a Catholic Elementary School, played the piano, and was a self-labeled tomboy. She graduated from East Detroit High School in 1976 and after that worked at her dad’s Sunoco gas station and auto garage.
Lauri was a free spirit and a bit of a wild child growing up Detroit in the 1960s and 70s. That all changed a bit when she welcomed her oldest daughter, Jennifer, in 1981, and second daughter, Jessica, in 1985. Lauri reset the trajectory of her life and the lives of her daughters when they moved to Stockbridge, MI in 1988. Here she welcomed her youngest daughter, Nicole, in 1989 and spent most of her life raising them as a single mother, creating life-long friendships, and being surrounded by a community that cared. Despite occasional hard times, Lauri did whatever was necessary to provide for her daughters, who never went without. She was brave, hardworking, and determined, qualities she leaves to her daughters.
Lauri loved her grandchildren to the “moon and back.” She did all she could to attend birthday parties, softball and soccer games, piano and dance recitals, and to be there when she was needed. She was instrumental in creating fun and making memories, including finishing last in the Color Run, taking a ride on the North Pole Express in Owosso, MI, and spending time in Mackinaw City on Lake Michigan, and all those everyday memories, too many to be listed. To her grandchildren she leaves her free spirit, love of life, and generosity.
While Lauri was proud of the work she did for the past 16 years at Terumo Cardiovascular, she was a gardener at heart. In the summer Lauri spent hours in the vegetable garden, and many of her loved ones remember her wearing a bandana and watering plants using a 5-gallon bucket (rather than a hose or sprinkler). She was an avid canner and made sure her daughters shared her cowboy candy with the staff who took care of her in her final days.
Lauri loved classic rock. Her daughters have fond memories of hearing Pink Floyd’s The Wall in the car with the windows down, when they preferred listening to Ace of Base. In her later years, Lauri was able to see many of her favorite musicians live in concert with her friends. Lauri loved the Michigan State Spartans, her house plants, and pet birds. She loved planting seeds in the spring, pig roasts in the summer, burning leaves in the fall, and staying off the roads in the winter.
Lauri was predeceased by her father, Robert, mother, Dorothy, younger sister, Kathy, and her brother-in-law, Steve. Lauri is survived by her three daughters and sons in-law, six grandchildren: Teagan, Jack, Jimmy, Jules, Alyssa, and Travis, older sister, Pam, and many close friends. She will be greatly missed and remembered every day by all of those who love her.
Services will be held on Saturday, December 16, 2023, at Caskey-Mitchell Funeral Home from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. with a Celebration of Life to follow at the Backstreet Banquette Hall from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Stockbridge Community Outreach , an organization that supports Stockbridge families in need of food, clothing, and financial assistance.
