I've been so touched as I've read the tributes about my friend Laurie Manny. She would be so pleased to know she had helped so many people and how grateful they are for the expertise she extended. Like so many who have posted about Laurie I met her through Active Rain and while we often compared notes and she definitely gave me pointers, more then anything she was just my friend Laurie.
I grew up in Garden Grove and back then Long Beach was the big city. Laurie had written what I believe to be one of the best community posts ever written... Historic Long Beach Homes. I was taken back to my childhood with her photos and stories about the places in Long Beach. We started emailing each other and soon decided it was time to meet in real life as we were not faw away.
We all have preconceived ideas about people from their photos... based on the above photo I thought she would be rather naive, with long blonde hair and probably on the shy side... Well one out of 3 ain't bad.. Laurie had gorgeous long blonde hair... however she wasn't naive and definitely not shy. Laurie was a force to be reckoned with at all times. She was larger then life.. a true California girl... by way of New York.
From that first meeting we knew we were going to be great friends. And so it has been over the years. We laughed, told stories, gossiped a bit and laughed some more. We compared real estate markets and talked about the the vast difference a few miles could make. She would often call me in the evening on her way home to see what was happening or to tell me a story she had just heard. Laurie knew where all the bodies were buried.
One of the first places we went after we met was to the Sellsius Meetup in Laguna Beach with Brian Bradyto hear Dustin Luther talk. The parking was really bad and all the lots were full. We drove around for what seemed like days and finally Laurie took out a $20 bill and told me she was going to show me how it was done in New York. We went to the first lot with a full sign.. Laurie called the attendant over, showed him the $20 and asked if he had a slot for us... he did and Laurie grinned like crazy. She loved that story and so do I. It was here we first met Joe Ferrara and Rudy Bachraty. Joe and I shared a birthday but Joe, Laurie, Brian and Rudy shared New York. It was the start of a wonderful friendship between all of us. It makes me so sad that both Joe and Laurie are gone.
Laurie was one feisty lady. She was fiercely loyal to her friends and the first to do battle if she thought someone was trying to take advantage of a situation. She would call out anyone who she felt was not being ethical or less then truthful. She demanded no less from herself then from her friends. She understood SEO intuitively and realized that without more structure many would would not reach the goals they hoped to obtain. She was always willing to offer help to anyone who asked... and sometimes to those who didn't quite have the courage to ask.
Real estate was Laurie's passion. Those were the exact words she used... she loved negotiating and the wheeling and dealing and the rush when she was able to get a property for her clients that they wanted. She hated agents who were not honest or truthful and was not shy about making sure anyone in a transaction with her always did the right thing.
Laurie loved California. She could never understand why people wanted to live with cold winters and hot summers. She loved to point out to folks who lived in other places how terrific the weather was in SoCal.
She was a girlie girl.. who loved jewelry, great hand bags, jazzy jackets and snappy hi-heels. She tried to get me to wear 4 inch heels, never quite understanding that after the first step I would be flat on my face. I kept telling her...Beach gurls wear flip flops not hi-heels. She thought I was wimpy.
I am still having a hard time realizing there will be no more calls starting with..." Hi Hun, Did you hear about.... we really need to go to dinner!" We had dinner a few weeks ago. We wandered through Belmont Shores and Laurie took pictures of shops for a future post. We talked about all the changes in town in the last 5 years. She took me to her favorite store where she bought Christmas ornaments every year. We decided we had to go there this Christmas. We had a great time... and as we always did we emailed when we got home to let each other know we were safe...
Good Night Queenie... Sleep well,
Hugs,
Beach Gurl
Laurie and I met Marlene Bridges and Lynda Eisenmann at the AR event in Long Beach. The four of us became great friends and have shared birthdays and special dinners over the years.
On September 9, 2010 from 5-8 ...we will be saying Good-Bye to Laurie at Parker's Light House in Long Beach. We will have a celebration of her life on the patio. Laurie loved this beautiful restaurant on the shoreline in Long Beach.
We will be setting up a Laurial Manny Memorial Fund where you can send a donation in lieu of flowers if you are thinking of sending something to her service in NY. I will be posting new information soon on both AR and her FB page
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