Thomas Robert Laurie

Thomas Robert Laurie, 68, of Morro Bay, passed away peacefully Friday, March 9, 2012, at his home, in the care of his family. Tom was born in May 1943 in Fontana, Calif., the son of Gilbert and Yetive Laurie. He also had two brothers, Andy and Bob, all of whom preceded him in death. He grew up in the beach town of San Clemente, Calif. He served two years in the U.S. Navy and attended UC Irvine, where he earned a degree in Physics. Tom married Nancy Norene Miller in August 1966. During their 22 year marriage, they had six children, Rena, Cora, Luke, Leroy, Glenda and Jim. Tom was a true Jack-of-all-trades; a lifelong surfer, master craftsman and photographer. He dabbled in everything, from hunting arrowheads to webpage design. He had a love of language and literature, and took pride in never being politically correct. Tom spent the last 17 years of his life with his partner, Valerie Seymour. They enjoyed outdoor recreation, fine food and travel. They built a commercial building on the waterfront in Morro Bay, The Front Street Inn and Spa, and later added their own home to the same building. Join us in a commemorative paddle out into the ocean to pay your respects and honor a man who always "stayed true to his school" at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 31, 2012, meet at the Cayucos Pier. A celebration of Tom''s life will follow at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 31, 2012, at the Borradori Garage, 455 N. Ocean Avenue, (North of the pier) in Cayucos. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Patrick Swayze Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund at Stanford University.