Laurie Locklear Duppenthaler

On June 17, 2026, Laurie passed away after a courageous battle with ovarian cancer at 54 years old. While her passing leaves an immeasurable void in the hearts of those who loved her, her legacy of compassion, resilience, laughter, fierce love, and being unapologetically “her” will continue to live on through the countless lives she impacted.

Born in Winter Haven on June 4, 1972, Laurie dedicated her life to serving others. Nursing was more than a profession to her; it was a calling. For more than two decades, Laurie cared for patients in emergency departments, intensive care units, and critical care transport settings across Central Florida before ultimately finding her home as a Flight Nurse with Tampa General Hospital Aeromed in 2008.

While Laurie was proud of her career, those who knew her best will remember her not for her credentials, but for her compassion. She possessed a rare ability to bring light into even the darkest moments, making people laugh when they thought they couldn’t, easing fear with a smile, and offering comfort simply through her presence. In a profession often defined by life’s hardest days, Laurie never lost sight of kindness, humanity, and connection. She loved deeply, laughed often, and embraced life with an infectious energy that drew people in. Whether among family, friends, coworkers, or strangers, she had a remarkable way of making everyone feel welcome, valued, and seen. Her laughter was contagious, her smile unforgettable, and her presence a gift to all who had the privilege of knowing her.

Yet despite her many accomplishments, nothing in Laurie’s life brought her greater joy than her family. Above all else, Laurie was a devoted wife, mother, daughter, granddaughter, and friend. She is survived by her beloved husband of nearly twenty-five years, James “Kelly” Duppenthaler; her children, Taylor Locklear-Jackson (Ty Jackson), Aaron Locklear (Darrylhi Locklear), Paige Duppenthaler, and Ryan Duppenthaler; her mother, Cindy McKay Courtney; her father, Donnie Griffin; and countless “work family” and dear friends whose lives were forever enriched by knowing her.

Laurie was predeceased by her grandfather, Charlie McKay, and beloved grandmother, “Dixie Faye” “Granny” McKay, whose love and influence helped shape the woman Laurie became. Their bond remained close to Laurie’s heart throughout her life, and the lessons, strength, and love she received from Dixie-Faye became part of the foundation upon which she built her own life and family.

In 2023, Laurie received a diagnosis that would change the course of her life. Faced with Stage IV ovarian cancer, she was given statistics, probabilities, and expectations. True to who Laurie was, she refused to be defined by any of them. Instead, she chose to live.

She fought with extraordinary courage through treatments, surgeries, setbacks, and uncertainty. But more importantly, she refused to allow cancer to steal her joy. Laurie embraced every day as a gift. She loved harder, laughed louder, traveled more, created memories, celebrated milestones, and cherished time with family and friends. She understood something many people spend a lifetime trying to learn; that life is precious, fragile, and meant to be lived fully.

Cancer may have challenged her body, but it never touched her spirit.

Those fortunate enough to know Laurie will remember her infectious smile, her unwavering positivity, her banana pudding, her quick wit, her love for cooking, Notorious B.I.G, traveling, family, and her remarkable ability to make people feel valued and cared for. She had a gift for bringing comfort during difficult moments and joy during ordinary ones. She made people feel seen. She made people feel important. She made people feel loved.

Laurie’s legacy is not measured solely by the lives she saved, though there were many. It is measured by the lives she touched, the people she encouraged, the family she adored, and the example she set of how to live with courage, grace, gratitude, and love.

And if Laurie could leave us with one final reminder, it would likely be the same message she carried throughout life…with a smile, a laugh, and an unshakeable belief that everything would somehow be okay:

“It’s all good, baby, baby.”