Robert E. Laurie, II's Obituary
Robert Edward Laurie Jr. passed away on Wednesday, April, 8th, 2020 at the age of 72. Bob was born in Bronxville, New York on August 5th,1947 to the late Robert Edward Laurie Senior and Dorothy Eleanor Laurie. Bob is survived by three brothers, Douglas, William, and Thomas; two children, Robert Edward Laurie III, spouse Ratana and Christina Laurie Ballard, spouse John; and six grandchildren, Kaylee Laurie, Jackson Laurie, Grant Ballard, Nicholas Ballard, Joseph Laurie, and Jacob Laurie.
After moving from New York, Bob grew up in Dearborn, Michigan. He attended Edsel Ford High School there from his Freshman through Junior years. He moved with his family to Memphis, Tennessee in 1965 and graduated from Germantown High School in 1966. Bob then went back north to attend Michigan State University where he earned his bachelor’s degree in History. He then returned to Memphis and earned his Master of Business Administration from The University of Memphis.
It was in Memphis where he started his family. He raised Rob and Christy there, who over time gave him six grandchildren. He was a fierce lover of all his grandkids, taking great pride in their accomplishments and marveling in their day to day lives.
He started his post college career at Caterpillar Corporation before ultimately retiring with FedEx. He wasn’t finished upon retirement. He volunteered his time with the following organizations: Memphis Redbirds, Theater Memphis, FedEx St. Jude Classic, DeSoto Civic Center, STARS, and as a mentor with Shelby County Schools. He was also a member of St. George’s Episcopal Church.
Bob was an avid collector and spent many a Saturday at estate sales throughout the Memphis area. He enjoyed history and was well versed on many different subjects leading him to be the guy you wanted on your trivia team. He made many wonderful relationships through his charitable work and community involvement and will be dearly missed.
There will be a private burial for immediate family on Tuesday, April 14th at 11 AM. It will be held at Memorial Park Cemetery in Memphis. Due to current social restrictions, a formal memorial service will be held on a later date to be determined. If you would like to make a contribution on behalf of Bob, please do so to Theater Memphis.
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