MARCH 28 • 2024 | 27
admitted Laura. “So, when I
learned that Marty wrote for
the now bygone lifestyle section
called ‘For & About Women,
’ I
asked him, ‘What’s a man doing
working in a women’s section?’”
Marty explained that he
wrote things that were of
interest to anyone, not just
women.
“That’s when I realized this
is a nice, good, cool, interesting
guy … and I thought, I’m
interested,
” said Laura.
When Laura asked Andy
for Marty’s phone number, he
refused to give it to her. “He’s
already got two girlfriends,
one in Rhode Island and one
in Washington,
” the protective
brother said.
So, Laura reached out to
Laura Berman, another Free
Press reporter who’
d been at the
Chop House, and she helpfully
passed on Marty’s number.
When Laura called, Marty
was “sweet and interested.
” But
their first date was “just good,
not great,
” according to Laura.
Marty invited Laura on a
second date and Laura got
straight to the point.
“I know you were married
before,
” Laura said. “
Are you
interested in getting married
again?”
“Yes,
” Marty told her.
“To me?” Laura clarified.
“Probably!”
“That answer was his ticket
to our third date,
” laughed
Laura.
After 18 months of dating,
Marty and Laura got engaged.
Marty proposed the same night
his father passed away.
“I found it so symbolic,
”
Laura said. “We had to say
goodbye to Marty’s dad, but we
were able to say hello to our
marriage.
”
Of course, they sent a
wedding invitation to Ed
Asner - Marty jokingly wrote
on it, “This is all your fault!”
Ed didn’t attend the wedding,
but he did send a telegram,
that said he felt “delightfully
responsible!” That telegram
now hangs on the wall in their
den.
They married in May 1980 at
the RenCen with Rabbi Milton
Rosenbaum of blessed memory,
who’
d watched Laura grow up,
officiating.
Under the chuppah, Rabbi
Rosenbaum said, “I have
known Laurie since she was
knee high to a nothing.
”
“I looked from the tall rabbi
to my 6’4 husband at my
side, and I thought, ‘nothing’s
changed!’” Laura laughed.
Forty years later, Ed came to
Detroit again, to perform his
hilarious one-man play A Man
and his Prostate at the Canton
Village theater. For a higher
price, patrons could attend the
meet-and-greet at the end of
the show, and the Kohns, of
course, were delighted to meet
“their shadchan” after all those
years.
“He didn’t remember
meeting us,
” Laura said, “but he
was thrilled to see the pictures
and the telegram that we’
d
bought along.
”
“You look better now,
” Ed
told Laura.
“Well, you’re not getting
another kiss!” Laura laughingly
shot back. “To think we met
that night because of him, at
least indirectly. Now we’ve
been married 43 years, and
it’s a wonderful marriage that
continues to get better.
”
The couple, members of
Temple Emanu-El, have two
daughters: Maggie and her
husband, Derrick George, are
partners in law, and Anna Kohn
helps formerly incarcerated
people back into society. They
also have a grandson, Spencer
George, 7, and a dog, Bazooka
Joe, that works tirelessly “to
keep their family safe from
people walking by.
”
Now that Marty’s retired from
journalism, he has plenty of
time to dedicate to his passion,
songwriting and performing
with his guitar. Laura
sometimes joins him on stage.
As reported for the JN by Esther
Allweiss Ingber in September
2023, the couple often performs
gigs around town.
They’ve got to be one of the
coolest sets of grandparents, but
with a world-famous shadchan
like Ed Asner, is anyone really
surprised?
It really is bashert. As
Laura pointed out, “You’
d
think the Detroit Free Press
reporters would have brought
along one of their own staff
photographers.
”
This column will appear biweekly. If
you’d like to share your ‘meet-cute’
story, please email burstynwithjoy@
hotmail.com.
LEFT: Marty and
Laura Kohn.
BELOW: The
telegram Ed Asner
sent the Kohns for
their wedding.