Ann Marie Laurie

1959 - 2025

Ann (Annie) Marie Laurie, 66 of Middlefield, passed away September 20, 2025, at Berkshire Medical Center in the company of her daughter, Jessie Sullivan Laurie, and her wife Mary F. Courtney after a courageous battle with a protracted illness.

Annie was blessed with a beautiful daughter in 1979, Jessie, who was the center of Annie's universe and for whom Annie was fiercely loyal and protective. Annie took great pride in nurturing and watching Jessie grow into the strong and independent woman she is today, just like her mother. Annie was the tree, and Jessie, her own apple and neither of them would have wanted it any other way.

Annie was born in Springfield, Ma on February 21, 1959, the daughter of Earl Laurie (deceased) and Marguerite Ryan Laurie, she was the sister to Doug Laurie (Sherry) and Shawn Laurie. After a time living among the grape vineyards of California, her family returned to Chester, Massachusetts (by way of the Woodstock traffic jam which she remembered with great fondness). She attended Gateway Regional High School in the 70's, spending most of her time with her best friend Tina Cook, or in the art class cultivating her natural artistic talent that would become her touchstone and lifelong passion for the years to come. As the adventurous person she was, Annie traveled back to California on a Greyhound bus in 1977 reconnecting with her favorite Uncle Ray and his clan until returning to Middlefield where she would settle down, become the proud mother to Jessie and create her own family. She valued spending time with her mother sharing stories of her life in Canada, stopping by Doug's garage to catch up and often holding family gatherings at Annie's home for the holidays with various members of both the Laurie and Courtney families in attendance. Annie cherished the small-town community and relationships she made in Middlefield over the years and loved you all.

Annie was a collector of sorts, mostly of lost children, wild souls, excentric misfits and artistic outcastes as she would sometimes refer to herself with unapologetic pride. She was the most authentic, generous, and kindhearted person you could meet, with a touch of cantankerous sarcasm and humor thrown in on the side. She would, and did, give people the shirt off her back expecting nothing in return. If she had an opinion, and she usually did, about something that was important to her, she was brave enough to speak up and share it while accepting that others had a place for their own beliefs. As her mother would say, Annie was always a free spirit and stubborn in the best way possible, both traits she carried with her throughout her life. She and her mother weathered the growing pains most mothers and daughters do, and came through the storm both the better for it.

Annie spent her early professional years working with special needs children in residential programs, where she and Mary met in 1984. They became fast friends, grew into partners, and soon settled down with Jessie, as a family in all its meaning. After more than twenty years together, Annie and Mary officially tied the knot, on July 17, 2004. They were lifelong partners; co-Mom's to Jessie and the best of friends born of a life together of more than forty years. Annie was truly the yin to Mary's yang. They established a homestead, affectionately called Petticoat Junction in Middlefield, frequented by creatures of all descriptions, family, and friends from all walks of life and blessed with the peace only mother nature can provide. A coffee and a game of dominos on the front porch listening to Bob Dylan and being visited by the not so occasional bear, hummingbirds, bald eagle affectionately named "six" and various other furry and feathery neighbors made Annie's day. It truly was the simple things in life that meant the most to her art, music and a good campfire with family and friends was really what mattered most.

She returned to art school in 1990 and was very proud to earn a 3.9 GPA and received her associate's degree in fine arts, from Berkshire Community College. Learning and collaborating with the faculty and art students at BCC were some of Annie's most treasured relationships.

Annie was the original creator of the Art On No, community art project in Pittsfield, followed by her realizing her lifelong dream of opening her own community art gallery, A Reason To Pause Art and Artisans Gallery in 2022 in Cheshire Ma. She treasured collaborating with her good friends, Bob Stone and Scott Taylor and would want them to know their friendship was deeply important to her always.

She is survived by her wife, Mary Courtney of Middlefield; her daughter, Jessie Sullivan Laurie of Becket and various grand puppies, her mother Marguette Laurie, brothers Doug Laurie and Shawn Laurie, her beloved Courtney clan especially including her many nieces and nephews who all held a very special place in Annie's heart, and large extended family of friends.

FUNERAL NOTICE: Becket Federated Church, 3381 Main St, Becket, MA, Saturday October 4, 2025, at 11:30 celebration of life service with lunch to follow. Across from the Becket Library.

Donations: In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Middlefield Senior Center c/o Middlefieldma.coa@gmail.com

The family wishes to thank Dr. Alsmann, Dr. Olberg, the nurses and the incredible CCU staff of Berkshire Medical Center for their compassionate care.