Lorie Beckley, 74, of Chattanooga, passed away on February 15th, surrounded by her loving family.
Lorie was born on April 4, 1951, to Frank and Helen Nusek. She grew up in Cranford, New Jersey with her brother Frank and sister Bobbie. Following college she worked as a relocation specialist, merging the sales forces of Warner Lambert and Parke-Davis, in Budd Lake, New Jersey. It was at this time that she befriended Bill Beckley.
After Bill relocated to New Orleans, a Valentine’s Day 1979 invitation to visit gave way to a whirlwind courtship spanning several cities. The couple were married on June 7, 1980, and they settled down in Slidell, Louisiana. Lorie briefly worked reconciling oil wells for Shell Oil before trading that job for the vocation that would be her life’s work. Following the births of Will and Kelly in 1982 and 1984, Lorie took on three of the titles she cherished most: those of mother, homemaker, and wife.
Upon the family’s relocation to Franklin, Tennessee, Lorie became an active school parent, serving as a room mother and PTA board member. She encouraged her children to try and to do everything, then facilitated that by shuttling the two of them to soccer practices, play rehearsals, band practices, choir rehearsals, and others too numerous to list. She was then in the front row of every match, backstage at every show, and cheering at every concert with love and support for the children she so wholly dedicated herself to.
Lorie was the consummate hostess, building a comfortable and welcoming home, first in Franklin, then again at a larger scale after a move to Chattanooga in 1997. Most every day of the week, she was creating meals in her kitchen that rivaled those of the best restaurants. Her home’s doors were always open, and a variety of family, friends, and especially her children’s friends, began to think of it as something of a second home.
As wife to Bill, they were perfect partners, raising the kids and building a life as yin and yang, completing and complimenting one another in nearly all things. Befitting their courtship, they prized seeing the world together. Their journeys took them to all corners of the US, Europe, South America, The Bahamas, on numerous cruises, and on uncountable trips to their favorite destination: Aruba. Whether home or traveling, they continued as they began, with a love and romance that didn’t diminish from that first trip to New Orleans to the last journey to Aruba.
It wasn’t until later, though, that Lorie rounded out her resume with what was perhaps her most beloved title: Nana. The arrivals of Liam, Vivian, and Tucker in 2014, 2018, and 2019 filled her with immense joy. She doted on (and spoiled) them at every opportunity. From playing boisterous games of Five Crowns with Liam, to getting mani-pedis with Vivian, to snuggling and reading on the couch with Tucker, Lorie truly treasured spending time with the grandchildren she loved so dearly.
Lorie remained true to herself until the very end. Her last days were marked with fretting over her children’s meals, wanting to prepare the house for an arriving guest, replacing a torn pair of Bill’s shoes that even he wasn’t aware of, and rounding out Valentines Day gifts for her grandchildren. She passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of February 15, 2026, following days spent with her loving family.
Lorie was preceded in death by her father Frank, her mother Helen, and her baby brother Gary.
She is survived by her loving husband of 45 glorious years, Bill Beckley, of Chattanooga, Tennessee; by her son Will (Sarah) Beckley, and grandchildren Liam and Vivian, of Lincoln, Nebraska; by her daughter Kelly (Franklin) Pierce and grandson Tucker, of Fleetwood, North Carolina; by her brother Frank (Trish), of Ellendale, Delaware; by her sister Bobbie (David), of Franklin, Tennessee, and by several nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Lorie’s name to Hearth Hospice or Veterans Association.
Visit the online obituary www.heritagechattanooga.com to post tributes and share memories.
Arrangements by Heritage Funeral Home, East Brainerd Chapel.
For more obituaries visit our obituaries page.
This obituary was published by Heritage Funeral Home & Cremation Services – East Brainerd Chapel.
Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter!