- Date Of Birth: January 29, 1921
- Date Of Death: January 31, 2018
- State: Michigan
Laurene passed away on Wednesday, January 31, 2018 at the Bay Medical Care Facility at the age of 97 years. The youngest of four children, she was born on January 29, 1921 to the late Franz and Marta (Honold) Sorgatz in Bay City.
Laurie was proud of her service to her country in WWII. On August 13, 1943, at the age of 22, she left her home in Bay City and her office job at Oppenheims and enlisted in the U.S. Army. After basic training – physical conditioning included calisthenics, marching and long hikes carrying a rucksack – and initial assignment in Ft. Dix, NJ, she departed for the South Pacific on Nov 18, 1944. She served as administrative assistant to Major Hanna in Manila, Philippines, where one of her duties was reproducing Restricted, Confidential, Secret and Top Secret material. WACs stationed in the South Pacific had a highly restricted life style. Headquarters directed that WACs be secured within barbed-wire compounds at all times, except when escorted by armed guards to work. No leaves or passes were allowed. Fortunately, Sergeant James Cook, Military Police, was assigned to guard the corp and to escort her to and from the barracks! After honorable discharge on November 29, 1945 she was awarded the following:
WAAC Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, 2 Overseas Service Bars, WWII Victory Medal, Philippine Liberation Medal with Bronze Star, American Campaign Medal, and Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal with bronze star.
Surviving are her children, Brian (Pamela) Cook and Betsy Cook through the blessing of adoption; grandchildren, Christopher (Claire) Cook, Emily (Don) Somerdyke, Holly and Weston Cook, Xavier and Alejandro Cervantes; great grandchildren, Natalie, Dominic, Rhys, Jacob and Jesse Cook, Peter and Quinn Somerdyke; nieces and nephews, Sally Kluck, Nancy Wintermeyer, James (Marian) Sorgatz, Betsy (James) Townsend, Joan MacDonald, Jon Wiley and Kathie Driscoll. In addition to her parents and husband, she was also preceded in death by her brother, Frank Sorgatz; sisters, Vera Wiley and Martha McMullen and sisters-in-law Mary Gutoski and Janet Barba; and nephew Tom McMullen.
