Murdered Morris Plains Marine Was A Traveler, Animal Lover

MORRIS PLAINS, NJ — A memorial service will be held this weekend for Laurel Chasmar, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who was murdered by an ex-boyfriend earlier this month. The service will be held by her alma matter, Fairleigh Dickenson University.

Chasmar, 28, was shot and killed by Hassan Shahid, 32, an ex-boyfriend, just outside of her Morris Plains home on Aug. 5. She had complained to police about harassment by the shooter before her death, as Patch previously reported.

According to an obituary shared by FDU Veterans, Chasmar served between 2007 and 2011, and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2010. She was an traveler and an animal lover, they said.

Read the full obituary below:

Laurel was born on March 19, 1989 in Hackettstown, NJ. She was an accomplished flutist who performed throughout New Jersey.

Laurel served her country in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2007 to 2011. She was an Administration Chief and Sergeant, a recruiter based at Camp Pendleton, and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2010 where she searched vehicles for explosives at Camp Leather Neck bases.

After leaving the Marine Corps, Laurel attended college, graduating Magna Cum Laude with an Associate’s degree from the County College of Morris, where she was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society. She earned her Bachelor’s degree (Cum Laude) in Psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University and was scheduled to complete an Executive MBA in Business Administration and Management in 2018.

Laurel joined Novartis in Morris Plains two years ago, working as a Senior Production Support Technician. Before that, she worked briefly as a Quality Control Officer at Alcatel-Lucent in Murray Hill.

Laurel loved to travel, and had a deep and unyielding affection for children and animals.

She is survived by her mother and father, Elaine and James, sister Jamie, brother Bryan, and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and dear friends.

A memorial service will he held on Friday in Lenfell Hall located in Hennessy Hall (Mansion) on Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Florham campus (285 Madison Ave, Madison). Those wishing to pay respects can stop by beginning at 5 p.m., and a memorial service will start at 6:30 p.m.

In addition, a YouCaring fundraiser has been set up to "support the causes that Lauren cared about most," the description says. You can donate here.

Image via YouCaring