Laurie Crystal Steele

Laurie C. Steele, 63, passed peacefully at home in Decatur, Georgia, on Wednesday, November 20, 2024. She will be remembered forever as a loving sister, dedicated aunt, and cherished friend.

Laurie was born in Atlanta and raised on the family farm in Ellenwood, Ga., where she fostered a love for all living things. She graduated from Morrow High School and later earned a degree in Art Education at Berry College. She worked in graphic design for Atlanta-area collegiate food service for decades before realizing her passion as Art Director at Habitat for Humanity for the past eight years.

Laurie was a prolific ceramic artist whose ever-evolving designs were driven by her ethos of humanism and environmentalism. Her career-spanning "Moodstones" series fused living and nonliving organic elements and embodied the calming energy she brought to the lives of everyone she touched. One of her greatest joys was teaching pottery at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center in Atlanta, where she made many lifelong friends. When she wasn't in her studio she could be found in her garden or behind the picture window where she enjoyed watching birds.

She was preceded in death by her father Richard and mother Teruyo. She is survived by siblings Sharon and Rich, sisters-in-law Emily and Patti, nephews Sam and Daniel, nieces Katie (Cody) and Emily (Josh), and great-nephew Reid. The immediate family will hold a private celebration of life in the coming weeks.

Memorial donations can be made to Habitat for Humanity (https://www.habitat.org/support/honor-memorial-gifts) and Callanwolde Fine Arts Center (https://callanwolde.org/).