Laurie Kite Peebles, age 62, passed away Monday morning, May 7, 2018. Her loss will leave emptiness in the lives of all who knew her.

Laurie was born in Hackensack, New Jersey, on July 13, 1955, to Frederic N. and Mary N. Kite. When she was 3 years old the family relocated to Tullahoma, TN, and she remained a Tennessean the rest of her life. After graduation from Tullahoma High School in 1973, she became a Licensed Practical Nurse and worked at Harton Hospital there.

In 1978 Laurie married James Howell Peebles of Tullahoma, after dating him for 7 years. They moved to Crossville, TN, where he was a dentist and she was a housewife, mother, and so much more. She taught Sunday school, was a Girl Scout leader, and worked for 20 years as a teacher at the Mother's Day Out program at Crossville's First United Methodist Church.

Her interests told a great deal about Laurie's willingness to benefit others. She enjoyed sewing, providing numerous receiving blankets for infants, dresses for little girls, and quilts for family and friends. She was a tireless volunteer, stepping in as a Band Mom for the Cumberland County High School Band, a helper in daughter Alice's kindergarten class, and providing care for a home-bound friend. Gardening was important to her, and her home-canned goods were shared with many.

A generous donor, Laurie quietly supported causes she deemed worthy. If assistance was needed by anyone she knew, she tended to the need without calling attention to the aid. One could not have a better friend than Laurie Peebles.

Laurie loved to read, and was insistent that others were encouraged to enjoy books, also. She read aloud to her own children and grandchildren, as well as to the countless youngsters in her reach in child-care and school settings.

Hiking and camping were great interests of Laurie's, with backpacking trips alongside family and friends being planned as often as possible. She had a particular fondness for walks in the Smoky Mountains, climbing Mt. LeConte 18 times.

She is survived by her husband of 40 years, Howie; daughter Alice, her husband Jake, and their children Sawyer and Ava; son Howell, his wife Lisa, and their daughter Lucy; sister Wendy and her husband Mike; brother Fred and his wife Sally; and a number of nieces and nephews and extended family.

In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her sister, Linda.

Laurie Kite Peebles lived a full, exemplary life, influencing many, loved by all.

Memorial services were held Friday May 11, 2018 at 2pm at First United Methodist Church.