Laurie Andrews

life story

Laurie Andrews... the absolute BEST Mom, Wife, YaYa, Teacher, and Friend who brought joy and magic to all who knew and loved her!

Laurie Sue Andrews, 67, died on Sunday December 26, 2021, at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, WA after suffering from heart failure following her brave recovery battle from a triple heart valve replacement\repair and pacemaker surgery in January. She was born on April 21, 1954, in Los Angeles, California and adopted by her loving parents, Frank Edward Lewis and Jean Louise (Lyons) Lewis of Pomona, California.

From a young age, Laurie was a free spirit and a self-described “wild child” who loved to go exploring in the California orange groves in her backyard with her neighborhood friends. Laurie was an avid reader and enjoyed getting lost in books and fantasy. Her imagination and creativity fostered a passion and affinity for celebrating and incorporating the arts into all aspects of her life. She loved her parents deeply; had a special relationship with her Daddy and followed in her mother’s footsteps as an elementary school teacher.

Laurie graduated from Pomona High School (a year early) in 1972 and attended California State University Long Beach where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Laurie completed her Master’s in Education from the University of La Verne in 1990.

In 1969, while in high school, Laurie age 15, met her future husband, Arnold age 17, at a basketball game sitting in the visitor stands. As an interracial couple in the late 1960s, many people said their relationship wouldn’t last. Despite these odds, Laurie and Arnold married on June 26, 1976, and in 2021 celebrated 45 years of marriage. Their special love spans almost 53 years. Together they raised two children, Anika and Joshua, and were blessed with two very special grandsons, Drew and Lewis. Laurie's pride and joy was her family, and she was an extraordinary mom, wife, and YaYa, who was incredibly devoted to her loved ones.

At age 22, Laurie began her teaching career at Vista Del Valle Elementary school where her mother also taught and where her father donated several child-friendly art sculptures and play equipment. The colorful numbers play sculpture (pictured above) has provided generations of children with climbing play and adventures. After teaching 16 years in the Claremont Unified School District, she relocated with her family to Washington state where she taught another 26 years in Federal Way Public Schools as a 1st & 2nd grade teacher. She was proud to be on the original team that opened Enterprise Elementary School where she taught much of her career.

During her 42 years of teaching, Laurie watched the pendulum of educational pedagogies, curriculum, and instruction swing back and forth. When she began her career, she had the opportunity to embrace the profession and truly teach to the whole child to meet their individual learning styles and needs. Through these years, Laurie thrived as a teacher as her calling was truly fulfilled. As the trends in education moved toward a “one size fits all” approach and high stakes testing in public schools, Laurie felt her passion for teaching had been extinguished and it was time to pass the torch to younger teaching professionals, whom she deemed as “much more proficient in current instructional pedagogies and who value its merits”.

With over four decades as a teacher, Laurie's deep passion for teaching coupled by her extraordinary skills and commitment in the classroom positively impacted and touched thousands of students; an amazing legacy and gift to many. As honorably as she enjoyed a rewarding teaching profession, Mrs. Andrews had an unwavering love for all her students and was most proud to watch their accomplishments and celebrate their successes!

Laurie will forever be remembered by her tremendous creativity, her gentle patience and unconditional love, her genuine care and kindness, her unfiltered ways, her channeled political advocacy, and the immense joy and love she gave and received being a wife, mother, friend, and YaYa.

In addition to her loving husband, Robert Arnold Andrews, Laurie is survived by her family; daughter, Anika McLeod and her husband, Jamie; son, Joshua Andrews and his fiancé, Marcie; and her two precious grandsons, Drew McLeod and Lewis Tijerina-Andrews.

Blessed Be Laurie!

memorial service

Celebration of Life

April 24, 2022

The Cove (Miller and Walker Creeks) at Normandy Park 1500 SW Shorebrook Dr, Normandy Park, WA 98166, USA

Please join us on Sunday afternoon April 24, 2022 for a Celebration of Laurie's life to share memories, laugh, cheers, and party together!

* At this time masks are required for this indoor event.

Connected to Laurie...

If you would like to be included in Laurie's Friends and Family connections here, please email and send a picture to Anika_McLeod@outlook.com

Until we meet again...

We will think about you always

we will talk about you still...

You have never been forgotten

and you never will.

We hold you close within our hearts

and there you will remain...

To walk and guide us in our lives

until we meet again.

-author unknown