Laurie Merriman Carmody passed away peacefully on December 14, 2025, after a life full of family, friends, laughter, and dogs (not necessarily in that order).
Her health journey was remarkable and defining throughout her life. Debilitating scoliosis as a child led to surgeries and years in casts. Severe shingles as an adult led to persistent neurological pain. Spinal surgery as a senior led to post-op infection limiting her movement and leaving her dependent on a care giver for the last nine years of her life. But she faced all of these challenges with courage and determination, and she never lost her sense of humor.
Laurie was born on October 13, 1949, in Woodbury, Connecticut to the Honorable Guerin “Gee” Benedict Carmody and Elizabeth “Betty” Merriman Carmody. She graduated from the Convent of the Sacred Heart, Eden Hall in 1967 and went on to Newton College of the Sacred Heart (now part of Boston College), where she was president of her senior class, graduating in 1971. That year she married Alfred Hoeberechts. They resided in New York City, where she became a highly regarded Human Resources Specialist for Hewitt Associates. During the following years, she would live in Connecticut and then in Portland Maine, where she found a vibrant community of friends that she loved. In 2008 she decided to live closer to her sister, Sally, and settled in The Villages, Florida. Again, she formed close ties with women who shared her values and her joy of laughing.
Laurie was bright. She was resilient. She was just fun to be around. She loved dogs, particularly her Lacey, Cody, McGriff, and Murphy – they were her heart. Riley, too. Horses. Nature. American history. Books. Anything sweet. Yoga. Charlie Brown’s Peanuts crew. The ocean, its breezes and smells. Weekapaug, Rhode Island. She was a fiercely loving friend, daughter, sister, and aunt – and a very special confidant and counselor to her nieces and nephews.
Laurie was predeceased by her parents; her brother, Christopher “Kit” Carmody; and her sister, Sally Carmody Reeves. She is survived by her brother-in-law, Charles Norman “Rick” Reeves; her sister-in-law, Carol Carmody; her cherished nieces, Laurie Reeves Pringle, Meagan Carmody Mayers, and Nelle Carmody; her nephews, Christopher Carmody, Francis Carmody, Charles “Chip” Reeves, and Michael Reeves; and her dear friend and devoted caregiver, Sheri Riccelli.
A Memorial Service will be held at Beyers Funeral Home in Lady Lake, Florida on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at 1:00pm. Following the service her ashes will be scattered, as she wished, in Weekapaug and Portland.