Larkspur Conservation – Nashville, Tennessee

Obituary

Rockvale, TN - Heather Gay Lanier formerly of Pulaski, Tennessee was born on January 6th (in a year she would never tell), daughter of Joyce Edwards and Jimmy Lanier. She attended Richland High School in Lynnville Tennessee, Martin Methodist, and Middle Tennessee State University. 

On September 30th, 2013 she married the love of her life, Angela Heath.

She spent her adult life working at Linebaugh Public Library and The Brentwood Library.

Heather's passion for all living creatures was seen through her rescue of multiple animals (all shapes and sizes), her vegan lifestyle, and her countless hours of volunteering with multiple charitable organizations. She loved the library, enjoyed crafting, and performed several lead roles in community theater. She directed her loving smile in promoting the protection of civil liberties for all. 

She was preceded in death by her mother Joyce, grandmother Beulah Lanier, grandfather Herschel Lanier, and grandmother Mary Pitts. 

She is survived by her wife Angie, father, Jimmy Lanier (Wanda), sister, Christina Van Wormer (Dan), sister, Lisa Hughes (Kyle), brother, Ray Lanier (Hope), brother, Bryan Lanier; nephews, Billy, Jesse, Logan, and Dillan; nieces, Leah, Nevaeh, and Gracie; and her great-nieces, Addie and Alenah. 

Funeral service will be Wednesday, June 6 at Woodfin Funeral Chapel, 1488 Lascassas Pike, Murfreesboro, TN 37130. Visitation will begin at 10am, the service will be at 11:30am and the Interment will be at 3:30pm at Tennessee's first green burial ground, Larkspur Conservation at Taylor Hollow. 

She died of cancer on June 4th. In lieu of flowers, Heather would love your kindness to go to Beesley Animal Foundation, P.O. Box 1886 Murfreesboro, TN 37133 or Shower Up.
 

The inaugural article for the Tennessee Library Association’s new blog is dedicated to the memory of Heather Gay Lanier.

Heather Lanier, Vice-President/President-Elect of the Tennessee Library Association, sadly passed away on June 4, 2018, less than a month before she would have assumed the TLA presidency on July 1st. Heather will be remembered as a trailblazer as the first non-MLS degree holding member to be elected to TLA’s highest office in the history of the organization.

Heather was a native of Pulaski, TN and was the daughter of Joyce Edwards and Jimmy Lanier. She is survived by her wife Angela Heath who was the love of her life, her father, two sisters, two brothers, and several nephews, nieces and great-nieces. In her personal life she was a serious animal lover and advocate with many adopted rescues, a vegan, a generous volunteer of her time and talents to charitable organizations, and a performer in community theater.

Heather was employed as the Circulation Supervisor at the John P. Holt Brentwood Library in Brentwood, TN from 2011 until right before her death. She served on the library’s Marketing Committee which developed “Illumination Lies Within” as the library tagline now prominently displayed on their webpage. Earlier she served as the Circulation Assistant Supervisor/Supervisor at Linebaugh Public Library in Murfreesboro, TN from 1998-2011. She began her library career as a library aide at Giles County Public Library in the nineties.