12/2/21. A message from Laura's husband, Jeff Voorhis:

Laura Michelle Zarrella -Voorhis has left this earth to shine in heaven. She went to Saint David North to have a Bronchoscopy, a non-evasive day procedure on Monday Nov. 15. The procedure caused a major bleed in her right lung, drowning her in her own blood causing two Code Blues which put her on a respirator for 17 days. She was mentally proactive and answering complex questions to family and recognizing everyone on Tuesday, Nov 16. Saint David ICU decided to put her on a paralytic drug with heavy sedation while on respirator. The neurologist believes her brain was starved for oxygen sometime during Nov 17 to Thanksgiving and was permanently damaged. On Dec 1 ,6:40 PM her body was no longer with us, I believe her soul and spirit left much earlier.

Laura was my soulmate, best friend, and loving wife. We spent over 21 years together never apart from each other once we found each other. She was a Dell employee in Round Rock for 19 years, many times working over 80 hours a week, until I made her retire early to enjoy life. She ran an eBay home Business for 21 years with 100% customer feedback satisfaction with over 5000 unique items we sold. Hard to do.

Anyone that met Laura knew she was a special person. Always had a smile and a laugh with a twinkle in her eyes. I have never met a kinder and more generous person. Even when she could not afford it, she donates money to various charities both human and animal. Animals must have sensed her natural goodness. I’ve seen angry dogs and psycho cats go calm and trust her. She rescued many dogs and cats old and young, and they all loved and worshiped her. I was always considered just a lower member of the pack to serve their wonderful master Laura by her pets. I was so blessed, Laura considered me the love of her life.

Laura helped raise my two children, Elise Voorhis and Robert Voorhis. She loved both as her own and with her love and guidance molded both into wonderful productive adults. She left a piece of herself in each of them that will guide them for the rest of their lives.

I’ve been told that “I have a wonderful grasp of the obvious “, so what can I share by this experience? As I watched Laura go through 17 days of deterioration in the Intensive Care Units, I went through a 17-day non-stop high-level course of Intensive realization of Hope and Horror, with a final exam of letting and watching someone you dearly love to pass on. Now for the “Obvious”.  If you Love someone, please Love and Cherish them more, because you never know when a non-evasive day procedure will change your life. Laura would like that.