Lauren Lynn Robertson Wells
Lauren Lynn Robertson Wells born March 8, 1951 daughter of Richard W. Robertson and Lee Hills Robertson died unexpectedly on November 29th at her home in Bend, Oregon.
Lauren was a very creative and artistic person. We recognized at an early age that she was talented in the arts and hired a teacher to help develop her skills. From Lauren’s early teenage years she was into horses and taught herself, plus a few lessons, to ride English and she rode in local shows. Later on she rode in shows throughout the state of California.
Lauren attended local Santa Barbara schools: Peabody, Laguna Blanca and San Marcos. After high school graduation she attended Stevens College in Missouri; at that time an all-girls school. After two years she transferred to the University of Denver where she received her degree in Fine Arts and Interior Design.
Upon graduation Lauren returned to Santa Barbara and went to work waitressing, as many college grads did in those days. She met a lot of people who were into selling antiques and became very interested in becoming involved in that field. Lauren opened a small antique store on Brinkerhoff Avenue that was successful.
While waitressing she met and fell in love with Sean Gallagher. They married and moved to Santa Cruz, California where Sean attended law school and Lauren rented a small floor space in an antique collective. While in Santa Cruz, Lauren also bought, remodeled and sold several houses. The marriage with Sean dissolved.
While living in Santa Cruz, Lauren fell in love with Kevin Wells and they were married in the summer of 1977.
Kevin and Lauren moved to Marin County, but eventually returned to Santa Barbara. At this time Lauren conceived the idea for the Summerland Antique Collective which was an instant success and featured in Architectural Digest She later also opened Modern Life which where furnishings that did not sell at Summerland Antiques were placed.
During that time Lauren and Kevin bought a home in Hope Ranch for Lauren to remodel. Having made a trip to France, she became enamored with French design and in 1999 built a French Farmhouse on Lambert Road in Montecito.
About this time Lauren began to get restless and she and Kevin divorced. She then sold the Summerland Antique Collective and in 2000 moved to Oregon. While in Oregon Lauren renovated many homes and opened antique stores while enjoying her beloved horses and dogs. She eventually settled in Bend, Oregon with her husband Ted Andrach. Lauren opened A Journey of Discovery, an antique store, in Bend and bought a beautiful home on twelve acres to accommodate her horses and dogs. An animal lover from birth she nearly always had a black or yellow lab among the assortment. Lauren and Ted divorced in April of 2014.
Lauren was beautiful and talented and will be in our hearts forever.
Lauren is preceded in death by her father Richard W. Robertson. She is survived by her mother, Lee Hills Robertson of Santa Barbara, CA; sister Linda Jordan of Fruita, CO and nieces Stephanie and Meghan Jordan of Colorado. The family will hold a private celebration of life.
Donations in Lauren’s memory may be sent to Equine Outreach Inc. 63220 Silvis Rd., Bend, OR. 97701.