Laura McCormick

Laura Ellen McCormick, age 96, formerly of Roseville, Michigan, more recently Traverse City, Michigan, passed away at her home July 31, 2022 in the loving care of her family. Laura was born the fourth child of Leonard Burl and Audrey Ellen (Carrigan) Fuller, who were poor farmers in Arkansas. Her parents had one more child, Louis, who Laura promptly dubbed “Buddo,” as her attempt to say "Brother," a nickname that lasted the rest of his life. They loved to fish and play in the fields together. The family worked hard on the farm, raising vegetables and livestock to feed the family, and cotton for cash crop. Laura Married Herbert Herschel Wright and moved to Detroit in 1941. In 1950, Herbert was killed in an explosion at his work site, leaving Laura alone with their five children, aged eight years to five months. Laura swore that her children “would never go hungry.” Always the farmer’s daughter, Laura planted an acre of vegetables, cultivated fruit trees and grape vines, and used her skills in culturing, canning and preserving to feed the family. She enlisted her children in all the farming activities, just as her parents did when she was young. Laura worked several jobs, sometimes two at once, to support her family. When she decided that she wanted to be home more often with her children, she started a business called the Fraser Agency in 1955. The agency operated out of her home with two phone lines and a desk in the corner of the living room, providing in-home child and elder care services. Laura’s business was so successful that it is still operating under the ownership of her granddaughter. Laura married William McCormick in 1951, a love match that lasted sixty-five years, until his death in 2016. Laura and Bill shared everything, and their love for one another was so obvious that friends called them the “lovebirds,” always holding hands and sitting close with arms around each other. Laura is survived by her children Audrey (Cy) Linder, Carolyn (Richard Cicone) Burke, James Wright and Robert (Josephine) Wright; eleven grandchildren; thirteen great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren. Laura was preceded in death by her son, Leonard Wright. Funeral Services will take place Saturday, August 6, 2022, at 3:00 PM, with visitation one hour prior, at Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home, 305 Sixth Street, Traverse City, MI 49684. Interment will follow next week at Edward’s cemetery in West Branch. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donation in Laura’s memory to Hospice of Michigan, www.hom.org/donations or to Child and Family Services of Northwest Michigan, www.cfsnwmi.org/donate. Please visit the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home website at www.reynolds-jonkhoff.com to share your thoughts and memories with the family.

Laura McCormick

January 2, 1926 - July 31, 2022