Words about Lauri

Lauri Holton deGaris shared a rare and beautiful bond with Mother Ocean — especially with the great whales she loved so deeply. The rhythm of the tides seemed to live within her. To speak with Lauri was to feel the salt air and remember that we are all connected to something vast and wondrous.

Her devotion to protecting whales was not simply work — it was a calling. Through her many poignant articles in the Fernandina Observer, she gave the whales a voice, helping our community see them not just as distant creatures of the sea, but as mothers and calves — lives worthy of awe and protection.

As one of the original founders of the Right Whale Action Group and later an active member of the Amelia Island Whale Ambassadors, Lauri inspired others through stories, song, and art. She understood that conservation begins with love.

Many will forever treasure her magnificent beach sculptures — mother right whales and their calves shaped from seashells, rising from the sand as if placed there by the sea itself. Families paused. Children knelt in wonder. In those fragile creations, Lauri turned the shoreline into sacred space.

Just weeks ago, when asked about making the whale sculpture gathering an annual memorial event in her name, she replied, “That brought tears of joy to my eyes. Nothing would make me happier than to know people will continue to honor the whales and raise awareness.”

How fitting that even in speaking of remembrance, she thought first of the whales.

Watch for the memorial Whale Sculpture next January — and when you see it, know it is more than art. It is love made visible. It is Lauri’s spirit, still rising with the tide.

Candis Whitney