Laurie Eveleth Stackpole, who served as the Chief Librarian at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) for more than 15 years, retiring in 2002, passed away at the age of 87 on July 8, 2021, at home in Solomons, Maryland. The cause of death was respiratory failure.
Born Laurie Jean Eveleth, Laurie Stackpole grew up in Falls Church, Virginia and was a graduate of Trinity College (1956) in Washington, D.C., where she was president of the physics club and editor-in-chief of the Trinity Times college newspaper. Her education continued with a Master’s in Physics from Smith College (1957).
In 1960, Laurie Eveleth married John D. Stackpole of Boston, Massachusetts. In 1964, John and Laurie moved to District Heights, Maryland, where John began a 30-year career at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service. Laurie spent the next decade busy with the couple’s three children: Mark (1961), Paul (1963), and Jean (1965). Once all three had begun school, Laurie returned to school herself, earning a Master’s in Library Science from Catholic University in Washington, D.C in 1977. She began working at NOAA’s main library, before transitioning to NRL in 1985.
John and Laurie’s life together spanned 59 years. They were both avid readers, were active at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Forestville, Maryland, enjoyed family camping trips when their children were younger, summers in Maine as they grew older, enjoyed square dancing, the arts, and attending lectures. Laurie also enjoyed crafts and hosting family holiday get-togethers.
They were loving parents of three children: Mark Stackpole and wife Laura Strom, Paul Stackpole and wife Lessley, and Jean Brown and husband Dr. Jeffrey Brown. They were cherished grandparents to six grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated for both John D. & Laurie E. Stackpole on Friday, July 30, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Aloysius Catholic Church, 22800 Washington St., Leonardtown, Maryland. Interment will be held at Saint James Catholic Cemetery in Falls Church, Virginia at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund—UNICEF—125 Maiden Lane, New York, NY 10038.
