Laura Devereaux, 2/12/58 – 1/22/06
Laura Devereaux was diagnosed with stage IIIC, grade 3 ovarian cancer in December of 2002. She joined the MOCA Board of Directors in 2004 and quickly found herself serving on the executive committee, first as secretary and then vice president.
Laura spent more than 23 years in Human Resources and at the time of her death was a vice president at UnitedHealthcare. She held a Masters degree in Industrial Relations from the University of Minnesota.
Laura is survived by her husband John, son Michael and their three golden retrievers, Madeline, Makenzie and Murphy. She was very close to her family and had many friends. She enjoyed gardening, camping, reading and dogs.
Laura made a huge impact on MOCA. Her lasting legacy will be this website, which is dedicated to her memory. At first, she just wanted to add a medical component to MOCA’s original website and then she decided the entire site needed to be updated and improved. Laura always said “You don’t just put one toe in the water, you go all the way” and that is exactly what she did with the web site. Her passion for ovarian cancer education inspired her to create a dynamic website with reliable information that empowers survivors to make informed decisions. Laura led the web site team and it was her vision, persistence and hard work that made this site a reality.
Merle Rosenberg 7/30/42- 9/11/06
Merle Rosenberg was diagnosed with stage 3C ovarian cancer in November of 1999. She joined the MOCA board in May of 2002 and organized the weekend conference “Thriving with Cancer in Many Voices.” That Fall, along with her family and friends, Merle came up with the idea for “A Toast to Life,” a fundraiser for MOCA’s research program, which is dedicated to advancing research toward earlier detection, better treatment and a cure. A Toast to Life, which has become an annual fundraiser, has raised more than $275,000 in the past five years.
In January of 2004, Merle became MOCA’s Co-Vice President with Lisa McLaughlin. Together, they were committed to expanding MOCA’s Membership Meetings and building upon what Molly Cade and MOCA’s co-founders had started. Merle made her mark in a special way: “Her little touches were found in every aspect of those meetings,” said Lisa. “From the theme, to the flowers at the tables, even the food that was served, everything that Merle planned was meant to bring beauty into the world of the survivors.”
That same year, Merle formed a committee to explore a new office for MOCA. She spent time with commercial real estate agents, looked in newspapers and visited possible locations. “I remember the excitement in Merle’s voice when she found 3751 Alabama,” said Kathleen Gavin. “Merle said she knew the space could use a little freshening up, but once we paint it and do some decorating, it could be quite homey.” Of course, Merle took it upon herself to organize her family and a handful of volunteers to make these things happen.
In 2005, Merle and Lisa became Co-Presidents of MOCA’s board. During the next year and a half, Merle continued to charm new members with her style, grace and smile in the face of adversity. When Merle went to patient care meetings with her doctor, she always had a list of new treatments to try. Everyone knew Merle was advocating for more advanced treatment on behalf of herself, her daughter Jill, and the entire MOCA membership.
At this year’s Annual Meeting, Merle shared an ancient folktale with the group: It is the story of a father and his children and how he shows them that alone a stick breaks easily, but when banded together with other sticks, they become strong and cannot be broken. Merle believed in her heart and soul that together we can overcome the disease of ovarian cancer.
Merle is survived by her husband and best friend Bob Rosenberg, her children Michelle (Alan) Yousha, Jill (David Lane) Rosenberg, Kim (Rob) Silver and Jay (Sherry) Rosenberg, her seven precious grandchildren and many other family members and friends.
Raine Snyder, 7/24/49 – 5/4/06
Lorraine (“Raine”) Kay Snyder was diagnosed with Stage IV ovarian cancer in late February 2003. She became active with MOCA and joined the board of directors a short time later. Her deep commitment to raising awareness of ovarian cancer was the direct result of her own personal experience: Raine was misdiagnosed for 4 ½ years.
She had more than 30 years of experience in operations and human resources. Her business, Human Resource Strategic Partners, provided consulting services to emerging and established businesses to retain, recruit, manage and develop the best people. Raine was an active member of HRP-MN (Human Resource Professionals of Minnesota) and NAWBO (the National Association of Women Business Owners).
Raine lived each day to its fullest, with grace, humor, faith and dignity. As a MOCA board member, she was responsible for coordinating the Survivors Training Medical Students program and also participated in the Grand Rounds project. Just a few weeks before Raine passed away, she was slated to be a guest lecturer at the University of Minnesota, along with fellow board member and survivor Sarah Noonan. Sarah called Raine to pick her up and found her at the clinic receiving an IV of magnesium, potassium and fluids. Sarah told her not to worry she could make the presentation alone. But Raine wouldn’t hear of it, telling Sarah “I’ll be done receiving the transfusion in 20 minutes and can meet you at the front door in half an hour.”
Raine is survived by her husband and soul mate Tripp Snyder, son Brody Felchle, who was her pride and joy, and her dog Bailey, aka her special healing companion, plus many family members and friends. In the months prior to her death, Raine and Tripp worked with MOCA to establish the Raine Snyder Fund, which is dedicated to raising awareness of ovarian cancer and it symptoms and educating health care providers about the importance of early detection.
