Laura Samuelson passed away peacefully on October 12, 2026, in Waterbury Hospital, after a brief illness. Laura was born on April 5, 1942, in Bronx, New York, to Joseph Samuelson and Sara Tenor Samuelson. She grew up from age 6 in Pearl River, New York, and graduated from Pearl River High School in 1960. At the age of 12 she discovered her love of theater, and during her teen years she worked both backstage and onstage in several summer stock companies in Rockland County, New York. She studied acting privately with the distinguished stage and screen actress Zita Johann and performed in a production of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible at the Tappan Zee Playhouse in Nyack.

Following her high school graduation, Laura moved to New York City and took acting classes at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. At this time she also started working in retail, beginning a long career in sales and management positions at Gimbel’s, Macy’s, FAO Schwartz, and other outlets. In ensuing years she lived and worked in Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale, and White Plains. Although a life in the theater was not to be, Laura remained an avid lover of drama, film, and the music of Frank Sinatra. And most of all, she loved cats!

In the mid 1990s Laura settled in Heritage Village in Southbury, where she was a cherished member of a warm community of supportive friends. She loved the quiet, small-town atmosphere of Southbury, reminiscent of her childhood in Pearl River. During the last two years of her life she was a resident of the Lutheran Home of Southbury.

Laura had a wonderful sense of humor and the ability to laugh at herself, and she always maintained a friendly and caring outlook to others. She is survived and dearly missed by her loving family including her brother Ralph Samuelson, sister-in-law Andrea Samuelson, niece Lanya McClintock and her husband Nathan, nephew Derek Samuelson and his wife Kristen, and grandnieces Zari and Ilona McClintock. In accordance with Laura’s wishes, no funeral service will be held. Donations in her memory can be made to the ASPCA, www.aspca.org.

To leave an online condolence please visit munsonloveterefuneralhome.com.