I am so sad to report that Aunt Laurie passed away last Monday, September 26th. We are all so sad and miss her so much. She was just here visiting so it has been hard to process that she is gone. But, she had a very strong faith and we are thankful that she is in Heaven - healed and with God! I pray too that she has been able to reunite with Uncle John. I don't know exactly how Heaven works, but I pray that she is with him again. They were such a devoted couple and always together.
Aunt Laurie and Uncle John were so sweet and so generous to our family! They also loved my Mom so much and she was very close to them growing up. We will miss both of them.
I have so many great memories of Aunt Laurie and Uncle John. When we were little, we loved to play with the stackable wooden nesting dolls that they brought home from their travels to Russia. The wooden doll sat on the mantle and looked something like this.
I also remember that Aunt Laurie always had her sheets starched. I have never known anyone else to do this but the beds were always so crisp and clean!
They had a piano at their house that we loved "playing." We never took any lessons but would make up songs to play. I am pretty sure we played "Mary Had a Little Lamb." Either someone taught us how to play or we made it up! They also had a stationary exercise bike in the basement that we loved to ride.
Aunt Laurie would serve Honey Nut Cheerios with Half and Half in the morning! Oh my! If you have never had this, you should try it. It's such a treat!
She was a great cook and always served us well!
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| Aunt Laurie with Eleanor, Mom, and Uncle John with Emily |
Aunt Laurie had a great memory and loved to tell us stories of her family history. She was named for her her Dad's youngest sister who passed away when she was just 18 from appendicitis. Her name was "Annie Laurie" just like Aunt Laurie. Her Dad was one of 8 children - 6 girls and just 2 boys!
Her parents met when they were both working at the University of Tennessee. If I remember correctly, she told us that there was a fire, maybe due to some experiments in the lab of their building. I believe he rescued her and carried her out of the building!
Aunt Laurie and Uncle John were a perfect pair! They never had children of their own but had a wonderful life together. They traveled the world, mostly for Uncle John's work, including to China, Egypt, Russia and many many more places.
Aunt Laurie was a romantic! She loved a good love story!
Aunt Laurie had a great sense of style and loved nice clothes!
I love this picture of she and Uncle John! Doesn't she look great?
Right up until her death, she always wanted to dress nicely. Emily and I were just discussing with her the type of boots that we like for this season at our last visit.
Uncle John was super smart. He and Aunt Laurie met at the University of Tennessee. He was a nuclear physicist and worked with the Oak Ridge National Laboratories in the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility. He received the IEEE Nuclear Plasma Sciences Society Merit Award for outstanding contributions to the field of particle accelerator science and in particular sector focused cyclotrons. Wow! I am not even sure what all of that means, but needless to say, he was very smart and well educated. He knew how every gadget worked. He and Mom loved to talk about how computers, radios, and especially cameras worked. She learned a lot from him!
Unfortunately, he died in June of 2009 two years before Aunt Laurie.
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| Uncle John's Funeral July 2009 |
We are so thankful that Aunt Laurie got to spend several weeks visiting with us in Birmingham over the last year.
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| May 2010 |
She came down for Elizabeth's wedding in June and we all had a great time celebrating with her.
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| Elizabeth's Bridesmaid Luncheon Daniel George Restaurant June 17, 2011 |
And, she was here just a few weeks ago in early September.
I am so thankful that she got to meet Annie!
Aunt Laurie was so sweet and accepted her illness and her circumstances with such grace and peace. We love you Aunt Laurie and will miss you!
Here is her obituary that Mom wrote for the paper:
MARTIN, MRS. ANNIE LAURIE POWELL - known as Aunt Laurie to her family, died Monday, September 26, 2011 after a short illness. Visitation will be from 10:00 am to noon on Friday, September 30, 2011, at Rose Mortuary Mann Heritage Chapel on Kingston Pike. A graveside service will follow at 12:30 p.m. at Highland Memorial Cemetery with the Very Rev. John C. Ross Dean and Rev. Cannon Thomas J. RasnickMoyers Powell, Emily Elizabeth Jones, Eleanor Jones Oser (Brad), Elizabeth Jones Flachsbart (Alex) and great- great-niece, Annie Lawrence Oser. Aunt Laurie was a faithful wife, daughter and aunt. She was beloved by her many nieces and nephews and we give thanks to God for her presence in our lives and for her presence now with the Lord. The family would also like to sincerely thank the Manor House and their wonderful staff for her loving care for the past 11 years as well as most recently Little Creek Sanitarium for their kind care for the very short stay Laurie had at their facility. In lieu of flowers, memorial or donations may be made to St. John's Cathedral 413 Cumberland Avenue Knoxville, TN 37902 and/or Apostles Anglican Church 1540 Robinson Road Knoxville, TN 37923, whose monthly ministry at Manor House Assisted Living where Aunt Laurie lived, was greatly appreciated. Arrangements by Rose Mortuary Mann Heritage Chapel.
Also, here is Uncle John's obituary from when he passed away on June 15, 2009.
MARTIN, JOHN ALFRED - age 85 of Knoxville, native of La Grande, Oregon, died Monday evening, June 15, 2009. He was a member of St. John's Cathedral. A graduate of the University of Tennessee with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and a M.S. in Physics, he worked for over 43 years with Oak Ridge National Laboratories in the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility. John published many articles in the IEEE Nuclear Science Transations and received the IEEE Nuclear Plasma Sciences Society Merit Award for outstanding contributions to the field of particle accelerator science and in particular sector focused cyclotrons. John was a Technical Sergeant with the United States Army serving during World War II. He was preceded in death by his parents, John Roy and Eva Neill Martin of La Grande, Oregon and sister, Mrs. Elmer Peck of La Grande, Oregon. John is survived by his loving wife of 60 years, Laurie Powell Martin; nieces, Mary Jo Lemon and Cathryn Rudd of La Grande, Oregon, Mrs. Charles Markworth of Los Angeles, California, Elizabeth P. Jones of Birmingham, Alabama; nephews, Ronald Peck, Charles H. Powell, Jr. and James C. Powell, both of Knoxville and many great nieces and nephews. Family and friends will meet by 12:30 p.m. Thursday at Rose Mortuary Mann Heritage Chapel and proceed to Highland Memorial Cemetery for a 1:00 P.M. graveside service with The Very Reverend, John C. Ross, Dean and The Reverend Cannon Thomas J. Rasnick officiating. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorials be made to St. John's Cathedral, 413 West Cumberland Ave/P.O. 153, Knoxville, TN 37901 or St. Peter's Episcopal Church, 4th & O Street, La Grande, Oregon 97850. The family will receive friends 11:00 to 12:30 P.M. Thursday at Rose Mortuary Mann Heritage Chapel.
