Laurette Phyllis Nordt

Laurette was born at home in Astoria, NY on February 7, 1922, 15 minutes before her twin sister Lucille, to Phillip & Johanna (Rienemann) Nordt. Laurette completed high school in Floral Park, NY at the age of 16 and then traveled daily to Manhattan where she worked in corporate invoice investigation operations to save money for college. She attended the City College of New York during the evenings after work. During World War II, she changed positions and handled payroll issues at the Sperry Gyroscope Company.Laurette met her future husband, James C. Lewis while still working that war job in New York. The two married in 1945 and moved to Detroit where their son Jim was born in June 1946. Later that year they moved to West Allis, WI where they started a metal pattern-making and foundry tooling business. Their daughter Janet (Zanotti) was born in November of 1947. In 1952 Laurette and James moved their family to a new house in Hales Corners, Wisconsin just before their youngest child, daughter Marsha (Judge) was born. Here they enjoyed years of raising a family in suburban Milwaukee interspersed with the yearly winter month long vacations in Florida. After her husband's passing in 1972, Laurette sold the business to her son Jim, though she continued to do the accounting. Jim expanded the business with the addition of a new division of the company in custom machine automation. While taking an investments class, she met Lloyd Broehm. The couple married in 1976 and had a wonderful 20 years together in which they traveled abroad as well as engaged in many artistic pursuits. Laurette welcomed Lloyd's two sons, their wives and children as part of the extended family. When Lloyd passed away in 1996, the following year she retired to Arizona to be near her daughter Janet. In 2009 Laurette was joined by her son Jim, and the following year by daughter Marsha. While in SCW Laurette volunteered weekly for 10 years at the Property Owners and Residents Association (PORA). She enjoyed swimming in her pool and made beautiful silver chain necklaces. Laurette was active in Desert Gardens United Church of Christ.In 2013 at the age of 91, she sold her home and bought a high rise apartment at the Colonnade where she lived until spring of 2018. She enjoyed her life there and her new friends. Laurette leaves behind her three children: Jim Lewis and partner Sue Fitzsimons in SCW, Janet Zanotti and son-in-law John Zanotti in Williams, AZ, and Marsha Judge in SCW; as well as five grandchildren: John Zanotti, Bob Lewis, Steve Lewis, Stephanie Judge and James Judge; eight great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; step-daughters-in-law, Sandy Broehm and Sharon Broehm and their children and grandchildren. She was predeceased by her parents, twin sister Lucille, husbands James Lewis and Lloyd Broehm, son-in-law Tom Judge, step-son Jack Lewis, and step-sons Jim and Jerry Broehm.#7 was her lucky number. She died at Grandview in Sun City West on August 7, 2019 at the age of 97.5. A memorial service will be held in Sun City West at Grandview Assisted Living Building A Community Room at 2pm on October 18, 2019.