Martin John Lauer

Martin John Lauer, 72, of Port Charlotte, Fla., died July 1 in Port Charlotte after suffering from cancer for 15 years.

From 1970 until his retirement in 2002, Lauer was a reporter for the company that now publishes The Republican and its sister Sunday newspaper in Springfield, Mass. After retirement, he moved to Port Charlotte.

He leaves his wife, Nancy; his mother, Evelyn; five children, Deborah, Michael, Kathleen, Kevin and Maryellen; 10 grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; a brother; a sister.

The obituaries were written, at least in part, from published reports by Bulletin correspondent Nimra Aziz, an undergraduate student in the Northeastern University School of Journalism.