Obituary of Laurie Lynn Fischer

A bright light has gone out in our world. Laurie Lynn Strasser Fischer passed from this life on August 14. She was 62.
She died peacefully at home under the loving care of her daughter, Kira. Her five-year journey with breast cancer was
followed by a steep decline beginning in May. Laurie’s indomitable spirit and zest for life were evident in her last
years as she traveled by herself to Boston for treatments and fulfilled her dreams of driving cross-country with her
children and seeing the Northern Lights in Alaska.
Born on November 25, 1963, Laurie graduated from Bethlehem Central High School in 1981, and earned her
Bachelor’s Degree from Middlebury College in Vermont in 1985. A journalist by trade, she was a free-lance writer and
wrote for several newspapers. At the end of her career, she worked as a clerk for the US Postal Service in the
hilltowns of Albany County.
Laurie loved living in her old 1800s farmhouse in Westerlo, NY, with an idyllic pond, orchard, and rambling stone wall.
She was quite involved with the local community and especially connected with the town of Rensselaerville, where
she first brought her young children to a playgroup at Conkling Hall and to swim at Lake Myositis. She sang with
Village Voices, helped to organize the Writer’s Fest, and volunteered at the Huyck Nature Preserve.
Laurie was a born performer, cultivating a love for theater from a young age, starring in various productions in middle
and high school. Later in life, she joined R’ville Stage Creations, reviving her passion. She was a member of the
group during its early days and has since been a frequent participant in its productions. She was a member of the
choir at St. Paul’s in Troy and a founding member of Sir Eel in 2011. She was also a frequent performer at Conkling
Hall’s Open Mic shows. From 2015 until the end of her life, she made exquisite music with her harmony trio, the
Barefoot Ladies. The musical sisterhood of the Barefoot Ladies inspired and sustained her across her later years.
Laurie leaves behind her children, Kai and Kira, the loves of her life. She was predeceased by her husband Bill and
her father Samuel. She is survived by her mother Tina Eigenmann, her sister, Carolyn Strasser Humphreys, her step-
mother Henda Strasser, and step-siblings, Janine Ellman Cifelli, Romi Ellman Hansen and Jeffrey Ellman. She also
leaves behind her beloved cat Anya. Laurie’s voice will sing on in our hearts forever.
Laurie’s life will be celebrated at an Open Mic at Conkling Hall.