Lauralee Fritts Whitmore, 95, of Charlestown Senior Living Community in Catonsville, MD, passed from this life into the next in her home on January 28, 2026. She was preceded by her beloved husband of 63 years, Charles Arthur Whitmore, her parents Lorena Steele Fritts and Edwin Turner Fritts and her brother and sister-in-law, Edwin "Buddy" Fritts and Joyce Fritts. She is survived by her children: Brent Steele Whitmore and his wife Sharon; Edwin Dwayne Whitmore and wife Bernice, and Sheen Whitmore Goldberg and her husband Charlie. She is also survived by five grandchildren and their spouses: Shannon Lander, Sarah Ludeker (Keith), Eric Roos (Jessica), Lauralee Roos, and Jacob Goldberg (Jessica). She has nine great-grandchildren: Mason, Allison, Christopher, Astraea, Camden, Tenley, Nimora, Lucian, and Sadie. She is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Lauralee was born on January 20, 1931, in Lowndes, MS. She attended Warren County, Virginia schools and graduated from Warren County High School in Front Royal, Virginia in 1948. She met Charles “Charlie” Whitmore, a Randoph Macon Academy Cadet, both age sixteen, while attending Front Royal Methodist Youth Fellowship meetings. In 1952, Lauralee graduated from Longwood College with a degree in Education. She married Charlie 19 days later. They had three children and continued to live in the Shenandoah Valley until the family moved to Linthicum Heights, MD, near Friendship (now BWI) Airport in the early 1960's.

Lauralee was a lifelong learner and educator. She continued her Education at Johns Hopkins University where she received her Master of Education and her Certificate of Advanced Study.

Her long career began with a short stint teaching at her mother-in-law's Whitmore Nursery School in Baltimore, followed by a position teaching English at Milford Mill High School in Baltimore County, Maryland. Moving back to Virginia, she taught at her alma mater, WCHS, until the local public schools closed their high schools in response to the Supreme Court's desegregation orders. She was offered and accepted a teaching position at A. S. Rhodes E.S. near Front Royal. Following these events, Charlie, her father Edwin, and brother "Buddy" built out the basement of their newly-built home as a kindergarten. There she ran the Colonial Park Kindergarten until 1964, employing several staff, when Charlie's work took him back to the Baltimore area.

After moving back, Lauralee joined Anne Arundel County, Maryland's Public Schools (AACPS) teaching 5th grade at Linthicum Elementary School. After considerable encouragement from her leadership there, she entered school administration as an assistant principal at Crofton Elementary School. From there, her responsibilities progressed to serving as assistant principal of Glendale E.S., and then to positions as principal of Solley E.S., Belle Grove E.S., and Richard Henry Lee E.S., where she retired in 1992.

Lauralee continued her passions by traveling, volunteering at the Governor’s Mansion in Annapolis and the travel advisory at BWI airport, and by facilitating classes at Severna Park UMC.

At the Charlestown Senior Living Community, she helped facilitate the educational program which was started by one of her first AACPS principals, and also taught classes. She also assisted Charlie leading travel tours.

A memorial service and reception will be held on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at 12 noon in the Severna Park United Methodist Church, 731 Benfield Rd., Severna Park, MD 21146.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in her memory to the Severna Park United Methodist Church, 731 Benfield Road, Severna Park (SPUMC), MD 21146 to improve handicap accessibility of the church and its restrooms. SPUMC (410-987-4700) is coordinating food donations to the reception. Barranco Severna Park Funeral Home & Cremation Care, P.A. are handling her final arrangements.