Laura Erin Best

Laura Erin Best of Westlake Village, California passed away peacefully on July 27, 2026 at the age of 67 after a prolonged battle with pneumonia. She was born on September 29, 1958, in Provo, Utah and grew up in both Fort Worth, Texas and Murray, Utah.

She and her husband, Douglas Best married on December 17, 1983 and together built a wonderful life in Southern California, where they raised their son, Brock, in a home filled with love, laughter, and pets.

A lifelong animal lover, she spent years as a pet therapy volunteer at Los Robles Regional Medical Center, where she and her favorite pup, Mr. Higgins, brought comfort and smiles to countless patients during their most difficult moments. As a teenager, she enjoyed riding horses and competed in Quarter Horse barrel racing. She passed her love of animals on to her son, and together, they never met an animal they didn’t want to take home.

She also loved learning and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Political Science from California Lutheran University. She maintained an interest in politics and current events throughout her life. She was also an avid reader of both non-fiction and fiction and was never without a book.

She is preceded in death by her mother, Gloria Nicholls and father, Roger Nicholls, and survived by her husband, Douglas; son, Brock (Elizabeth); grandkids, Calvin & Evelyn; and siblings, Alan Nicholls (Margo), Shelly Delany (David), & Jourdan Nicholls (Lisa).

One of Laura’s greatest strengths was actively getting to know every person she met and making someone feel better about themselves. She always had a compliment to share and an unexpected joke to tell. She loved catching people off guard and making them laugh with her quick wit and unique sense of humor.

She loved being a grandma, and her greatest joy in life was spoiling her two young grandkids, who miss her dearly. Holidays and birthdays will not be the same without her.

Her family would like the thank the tireless work of the CCU & ICU staff at Los Robles Regional Medical Center, who treated Laura with the utmost care, compassion, and respect and she struggled and fought in her final days.

Family and friends are invited to a Celebration of Life in her honor, which will be held on September 26, 2026 at 12:00 pm at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints located at 32165 Watergate Rd., Westlake Village, CA 91361.