Laurie Lakey

Laurie Lakey was born on March 25, 1929, in Chestnut Hill, TN, and passed away on March 25, 2021, in Nashville, TN.

After earning her Bachelor’s degree from East Tennessee State Teachers College (later to become ETSU), Laurie earned her Master’s in Education from UT Knoxville and then joined the Red Cross, serving for two years in Japan during the Korean War.

She began her teaching career in Asheville, NC, and then taught at Huntington College in Montgomery, AL.  After moving to Falls Church, VA, to start a family, she taught for thirty years in the Alexandria, VA, public school system from which she retired.

In 1978, Laurie was awarded a patent for her unique design for a wreath frame.  She started the company Design-A-Wreath, through which she sold her popular wreath frame across the country.  Laurie moved to Nashville, TN, in 1999 and remained there for the rest of her life.  She loved painting, traveling, and collecting antiques.

A beloved mother and grandmother, she leaves behind two children, Lauren Bugel (James), and Phillip McAndrew (Jennifer), and three grandchildren, Jamie Bugel (Eric Hamilton), Madeleine Bugel, and Lucy McAndrew.