32 | MAY 25 • 2023 

OUR COMMUNITY

S

ometimes people have scars or 
emotional baggage from previous 
relationships, but Laura Solomon 
of West Bloomfield is proof those things 
don’t have to stop a person from living hap-
pily ever after. 
Twenty-three years ago, life was falling 
apart for Laura. She was recently separat-
ed and had seven kids under the age of 13. 
To add to the chaos, she’
d just been called 
to her kids’ school because her 4-year-old 
son had bitten another child and all of her 
kids were being expelled as a result of this 
carnivorous act. 
Laura rushed to the school and as she 
waited for her kids, one of the daycare 
workers struck up a conversation. The 
worker tried to encourage her and told 
Laura that despite her circumstances, 
maybe she would find love in the future. 
Laura glanced out the window as a 
fancy Alfa Romeo roared into the parking 
lot and a gorgeous man in a black leather 
jacket and sunglasses walked into the 
school. Laura shrugged dispiritedly and 
said, “It’s not like someone like that is going 
to want a broad with seven little kids …
” 
Three months later, a friend suggested 
Laura try the then-new JDate website. 
Laura decided to be extremely specif-
ic about what she was looking for. She 
typed in what she now admits was proba-
bly “completely unattainable” search crite-
ria. Her perfect man had to be 36, Jewish, 
divorced, have a master’s degree … and be 
in law enforcement.
Turned out there was one guy in 
Michigan who met all the prerequisites: Jeff 
Solomon. 
They agreed to meet at Mene Sushi 
for lunch. Laura arrived first and soon 
saw a fancy car pulling up … a fancy car 
that looked kind of familiar! Then a gor-
geous man in a black leather jacket and 
sunglasses climbed out of an Alfa Romeo. It 
was that same man she’
d said would never 
want her just three months before! It was as 
though God gave her a preview of what to 
expect if she just asked.

The kicker: It turned out Laura’s son had 
bitten Jeff’s son — that’s why he’
d been sum-
moned to school that day, too! 
They both checked off all the boxes on 
each other’s list and were married shortly 
after, in February 2002. They became a 
blended family with nine kids under the age 
of 13, eight boys and one girl, who became 
— and still are — best friends.
 Jeff was raised in Jackson, one of 
three Jews in his high school, and 
was in the U.S. Army for 20 years. He 
attended the University of Michigan 
and University of Houston and traveled 
extensively. He has been retired from gov-
ernment service since 2018.
Meanwhile, Laura is a self-proclaimed 

homebody from Huntington Woods who 
attended Berkley High School. She’s lived 
in the same 20-mile radius from 
where she was born for 60 years. She is the 
director of Advanced Rapid Detox, a sub-
stance abuse treatment center.
“We’re complete opposites. He’s intellec-
tual and quiet and I’m a handful. I needed 
someone stable and centered, and he 
needed someone who could get him out of 
his shell,
” explained Laura of their blissful 
21-year marriage. 
Their children were bar and bat mitzvah 
at Shir Shalom, Shir Tikvah and Temple 
Israel back in the day. Now, two of their 
sons are married. Laura and Jeff agree that 
their kids are their best friends. While 
they both enjoy being empty nesters, their 
favorite moments are the times they spend 
with their kids and their partners (and 
granddogs).
Laura’s message: “I thought no one would 
want me with so many kids, but everyone 
comes with something. People spend so 
much time thinking about what they don’t 
want, but they don’t necessarily think about 
what they do want. If you make a clear-cut 
vision for yourself and a clearly defined 
target, the universe will bring you the 
person you’re looking for. You don’t have to 
wait until your kid bites theirs!” 

This column will appear biweekly. If you’d like to 

share your ‘meet-cute’ story, please email 

burstynwithjoy@hotmail.com.

‘Because of a Bite’

ROCHEL BURSTYN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

HOW WE MET

Jeff and Laura 
Solomon

One big blended 
happy family

