Annie Laurie Pritchard Andrews, 94, died Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, at home. The daughter of Charles R. Pritchard and Annie Laurie Rhodes Pritchard, she was born and spent her early childhood in Birmingham, Alabama, before moving with her family to Atlanta, Georgia, in 1931 and then to Fairfield, Connecticut, in 1938.
Laurie graduated from the College of William & Mary in 1947 with a B.A. Degree in Journalism. She was an editor of The Flat Hat, cheerleader and member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority. She was an active alumna and dedicated fan of the Tribe, regularly attending football and basketball games.
After graduating from college, Laurie worked for General Electric, editing the company newsletter in Bridgeport, Connecticut. She married John Hampton Andrews in 1948 and, in the era of corporate transfers, relocated with him and their children to Lynn, Massachusetts; Dover, New Hampshire; Fort Wayne, Indiana; Fairfield and Norwichtown, Connecticut; and Elmira and Pittsford, New York. Laurie owned and operated a successful recreational boat business and yacht club marina on Great Sacandaga Lake taking their residence to Mayfield, New York. Later, she and John moved to Huntsville, Alabama, where they reconnected with generations of Laurie’s family. The family’s camp in the Adirondack Mountains in the summer remains was a beloved “home base.”
Laurie found ways to contribute to each community in which she lived. In 1952, she founded and led the League of Women Voters in Dover, New Hampshire. Laurie was active in the Junior League in most cities where she resided. She was also a Sunday school teacher, founded an Investment Club, and was a technology enthusiast and a leading activist in The Sacandaga Lake Association dedicated to responsible environmental policy. In Huntsville, Laurie made land available for the innovative Sparkman High School in the suburb of Harvest.
Laurie continually astonished her family with her uncanny ability to forge a personal connection to almost every person she ever met. Her gregarious nature led to conversations with people so often that the ensuing friendship would reveal common threads that reminded her and others that life is a tapestry appreciated most thoroughly when its woven nature is explored.
Interspersed with all these activities throughout the years, Laurie played field hockey, basketball, and tennis, coached softball, downhill skied and was active in the U.S. Power Squadron. She was a helpful hands-on resource in all questions electrical, plumbing, carpentry, and masonry. She loved to sail and was an avid golfer from the age of 7. She enjoyed playing bridge, especially with her children and grandchildren.
Laurie and John arrived at Williamsburg Landing in 2000, where she served on the Finance, Health, and Wellness and Environmental committees. She was an active member of Williamsburg Presbyterian Church, and, together with her husband, she sponsored business ethics seminars and a visiting executives program at the William & Mary Raymond A. Mason School of Business. She was also a member of the Williamsburg Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and enjoyed the study of American history.
Laurie was the loving mother of two, grandmother of four and “other mother” and “other grandmother” to many more. She was a devoted wife and cared for John through his declining years with tenderness and resilience. She loved her caregivers at Williamsburg Landing, who grew to be like family and eased her final months and days on this earth.
She was preceded in death by her husband, John H. Andrews; and daughter-in-law, Linda O. Andrews.
Laurie is survived by her son, John H. Andrews Jr. of Nokomis, Florida; daughter Martha A. (Thomas) Squire of Williamsburg; sister, Patricia P. Pisaretz of East Haven, Connecticut; grandchildren, Jeffrey C. (Kimberley) Andrews of Preston, Connecticut, and Katherine M. (Thomas) Morrissey, and great-grandson, Eliot, of Nokomis, Florida, Andrew W. (Brittany) Squire, and great-granddaughters, Lillian and Alana of Fayetteville, New York; Juliet P. Squire (Justus Myers) of Washington, D.C.; and loving nieces and nephews, cousins and loved ones.
A virtual memorial service is planned for a future date at Williamsburg Presbyterian Church.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Williamsburg Presbyterian Church, 215 Richmond Road, Williamsburg, VA 23185.
Share online condolences with the family at Bucktrout of Williamsburg Funeral Service.
