Obituary of Laura E Grzanka

Laura E. Grzanka passed away on December 24th, 2024 at the age of 58. 

Laura was born in Glen Ridge, NJ on December 29th, 1965 to John Chavanne and Carole Karsen. A lifelong New Jersey resident, she was raised in Saddle Brook and Montville, earning her B.S. in Industrial Engineering and her MBA in Marketing from Rutgers University. 

Laura worked for JCP&L where she met her husband, Richard Grzanka. Laura and Rich were married in Bernardsville on May 16th, 1993, and established their family in Mendham. Laura went on to have a long and successful career at Avaya as the Global Lead of Digital Marketing. 

Family and friends will remember Laura’s passion for music and her beautiful voice. She was a longtime active member of Hilltop Presbyterian Church in Mendham where she sang in the choir. Laura was also an avid member The Skylands Songwriters Guild of Northwest New Jersey through which she showcased her self-composed pieces of music. Throughout her life Laura had the honor of singing at iconic venues including Carnegie Hall and The Stone Pony. A collection of her music and performances will be available at https://lauragrzanka.com/.

Laura loved the beach, never turning down the chance to enjoy the sun and sand at the Jersey Shore, in the Florida Keys, and Cape Cod, MA. No matter the weather or season, the beach was always her happy place. 

She is survived by her husband Richard Grzanka, her mother Carole Karsen, her children Andrew Grzanka (Jennifer Viveiros) from Maryland, and Ashe Grzanka of Mendham; her brother Daniel Chavanne and family of Greenbrook; her sister Jill Augustine and family of Randolph; and her sister-in-law Sue Kear and family of Mendham. 

The family would like to extend an invitation to all who would like to celebrate Laura’s life. Memorial Visitation will be held on Thursday, January 2nd, 2025, from 4-8pm at the Bailey Funeral Home, 8 Hilltop Rd in Mendham, NJ. A memorial service will be held on Friday, January 3rd, 2025, at 4pm at Hilltop Presbyterian Church, 20 Hilltop Rd. A reception to continue her celebration of life will be held at the Hilltop House, 14 Hilltop Rd, immediately following the church service, around 5pm, during which members of her musical groups will be performing songs in honor of Laura. In celebration of Laura’s wonderful spirit, please feel free to incorporate shades of purple, her favorite color, into your attire. 

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to be made in her memory to COLONTOWN (https://paltown.org/laurag). Rich and Laura found valuable information and community through this organization throughout Laura’s 5-year battle with colon cancer.