Laura Preston , an emergency room nurse and later a clinic volunteer, died peacefully in her daughter’s home on August 11, 2022. She was the oldest of the eight children of Joseph P. Zimmer Jr. and Dorothy Claire Bunyan Zimmer. Laura was predeceased by her parents Dorothy and Joseph. She is survived by her children, Matthew Frederick Preston and Sarah Louise Strouse, her stepmother, Barbara Zimmer, her seven siblings, Mary Jean Frank, Joseph Philip Zimmer III, Dorothy Claire Fleshman, James Thomas Zimmer, Susan Elizabeth Spencer, Paul Augustine Zimmer, and Catherine Zimmer, and her stepgrandchildren, Alexandra Love Strouse, Julia Skylar Strouse, and Elizabeth Summer Strouse.
Laura was a kind, generous and loving mother, daughter, sister and friend. She nurtured her relationships with frequent phone calls to friends and family. She always advocated for those that couldn’t advocate for themselves. Her hobbies earlier in life were reading and swimming. Later in life, Laura picked up knitting and jewelry making as hobbies, and she generously gave away most of the projects she made. She made shawls and bracelets for all four of her sisters. She resided at Homestead by Springwell in the Mt. Washington neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland from 2019-2022, where she enjoyed many friendships with other residents and members of the staff. She founded a knitting club at Homestead that met on Sunday afternoons and was called Laura’s knit wits.
She worked as a registered nurse in the emergency room at Leland Memorial Hospital. She was dedicated to her work, obtaining advanced training and she was awarded her CEN (certified emergency nurse certification) as well as ACLS (advanced cardiac life support). She provided expert and kind care to children and adults for 20 years, as well as always being on call as our family’s personal telehealth nurse. Laura also received “Nurse of the Year award when she graduated from nursing school. After she retired, she volunteered as a nurse at the Shepherds clinic in downtown Baltimore.
Laura will be deeply missed by all who knew her, and her family is grateful for all of the wonderful times they shared with her. May she Rest In Peace.
The family will receive friends in the Lemmon Funeral Home of Dulaney Valley, Inc., 10 W. Padonia Road (at York Road) Timonium, Maryland 21093 on Sunday, August 14, 2022 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm.
A funeral service will be held at the funeral home on Monday, August 15, 2022 at 11 am.
Interment will be private.
Contributions in Laura’s honor may be directed in her name to National Kidney Foundation of Maryland; link for contributions is listed below.
DONATIONS
National Kidney Foundation serving Maryland 30 East 33rd Street, New York, New York 10016
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