Illustration Obituary

Laurie Gambill Myers – RIP

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D. D. Degg Published: July 2, 2025 Updated: February 17, 2026 1 minute 0 comments

Newspaper illustrator Laurie Gambill has passed away.

From the funeral home obituary:

Laurie grew up in Spokane, Washington, attended Spokane schools, and graduated from North Central High School (1970) and Whitworth College (1974). She received a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts, and pursued teaching credentials at Eastern Washington University. Apart from a few years living in northern Idaho, she spent most of her life in the Spokane area.

As a young adult she tried her hand as a street portrait artist (Expo ’74) and also worked a few years as a florist. However, in her professional life she is best known for her longtime work as a staff artist and illustrator for the Spokesman-Review newspaper in Spokane from which she retired in 2000. Her illustrations of famous bands, athletes, political figures and movie stars were both greatly anticipated and highly regarded. Without question she possessed a keen eye for design, color and detail.

After a brief sojourn at The Spokane Chronicle in 1977 Laurie, as Laurie Gambill, worked at The Spokesman-Review from 1978 to at least 1989 (2000?) as illustrator and graphics artist for the newspaper.

Below are a few samples of her artistry during the 1980s.