Laura Ann Bradford
In Loving Memory
Laura Ann Bradford passed away on Friday, January 30, 2026, at her memory care residence in Peachtree Corners, Georgia, after courageously facing Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS).
An avid traveler with a joyful spirit, Laura was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1947 and was adopted by her parents, Irene and Bob. She spent most of her childhood in El Paso, Texas, alongside her four siblings. Her lifelong love of learning led her to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Dietetics from the University of Houston and a Master’s degree in Food and Nutrition from Indiana State University. She later received her Nursing degree from the MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston.
Laura expressed her passion for nutrition, health, and caring for others by working as both a nurse and a dietician. With an entrepreneurial spirit, she eventually founded her own practice, NURtrition Health Counseling, where she combined her nursing and dietetics expertise to support and empower her patients.
A devoted single mother, Laura poured her heart into raising her daughter, Letty, whom she loved fiercely. In the early 1980s, determined to provide Letty with a strong foundation and good opportunities, Laura relocated them from central Georgia to Massachusetts, where they built a warm and loving life together.
In 1996, Laura met her former husband, Fred Merk, a distinguished Professor of Anatomy and Physiology at Tufts University. Together they shared many happy years traveling and exploring the world, visiting Aruba, Italy, New Zealand, camping in Vermont, and spending treasured time with family and friends.
Laura was a mischievous ray of sunshine whose warmth and humor brightened every room. She delighted in sewing, trying and creating healthy recipes, listening to music, and celebrating the birthdays, anniversaries, and accomplishments of the people she loved. A lifelong animal lover, she shared her home over the years with a variety of pets, including frogs, guinea pigs, and cats.
She also enjoyed swimming and walking, and for many years participated in Against the Tide, a one-mile swim, two-mile kayak, and three-mile fitness walk benefiting the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition. Her commitment to this event reflected both her love of physical activity and her deep compassion for others.
Laura is lovingly mourned by her daughter Letty London; her sisters Marie and Martha; her brother Freeman; her former husband Fred Merk; stepsons John and Dan; and her grandchildren Cassy, Jason, Jenny, Otis, and Brady. She will be remembered for her kind, silly, and feisty spirit and for the light she brought into the lives of all who knew her.
A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, June 20, at 11:00 a.m. at Mount Auburn Cemetery, Bigelow Chapel, in Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138.