Laurene "Lauree" Elizabeth (Peterson) Holliday

Laurene Peterson Holliday (Lauree), MS, PharmD, RD, LDN

April 18, 1950 – September 20, 2021

Raleigh, North Carolina- Lauree was born and raised in Clinton, North Carolina, she was the daughter of Rebecca Elizabeth Wade Peterson and Everett L. Peterson.  She was a teacher, a Registered Dietitian, a Pharmacist, and beloved wife of 46 years to her husband Ben.

Lauree graduated from Clinton High School, she graduated from Meredith College in 1972 with a Bachelor of Arts, and she began her career by teaching Home Economic in Junior High School in Cumberland County.  She met Ben when a friend organized a blind date and they married in 1975.  They both decided to go back to school at Virginia Polytechnical Institute and State University and she graduated in 1980 with a Master of Science in Human Nutrition and shortly afterwards passed the examination to be a Registered Dietitian.  Lauree began her work as a Dietitian in Public Health, then worked at the Veteran Administration Hospital in Fayetteville, and then moved into Private Practice.  In 1989 an opportunity opened to teach Nutrition at her alma mater Meredith College, so she and Ben moved to Raleigh.  While at Meredith Lauree was asked by the State Association of Dietitians to serve as the Legislative Liaison for the Law to require Dietitians and Nutritionist to be licensed in the State of North Carolina.  After passage of that law, Lauree was appointed by the Governor to serve on the first North Carolina Licensing Board, and she was elected the Chair of the Board.  The Board members voted to award her License Number One for her work in getting Licensure passed in North Carolina.   Finally, after ten years at Meredith, Lauree decided to go back to school.  In 2003 she graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Doctor of Pharmacy with Distinction, and she passed the exam to be a Registered Pharmacist in North Carolina.  After graduation from UNC, she served in an Residency Program at the Veterans Hospital in Durham and then started a joint program of Pharmacy Technology for Johnston and Wake Community Colleges.  While she served as Program Director of this program, her students had a perfect record for passing the state examination for Pharmacy Technologist.  Lauree retired from this program after nine years due to declining health.

Lauree was an accomplished musician, playing the piano and the organ, she was a gourmet cook, an artist, poet, and lifelong dog lover.  One of her five dogs she had as an adult was an AKC Champion and lived to be nineteen years old.

Lauree is survived by her husband Benjamin Hardy Holliday, of Raleigh, as well as her beloved brothers-in-laws and sisters-in-laws, Barry and Kathie Holliday of Fredericksburg, VA, Bryan and Karen Holliday of Richmond VA, and Brett and Cathie Holliday of Houston, TX, many dearly loved nieces and nephews and one especially loved niece, Shannon Miller of Cape Carteret, NC.

Viewing is at the Crumpler-Honeycutt Funeral Home in Clinton, NC from 10:00 am until noon on Saturday September 25 followed by a graveside service in the Clinton Cemetery at 1:00 pm.  In honor of Lauree lifelong service in healthcare attendees are asked to wear masks.  In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Arthritis Foundation.  

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