By Allison Jarrell | LB Indy
Laguna Beach is mourning the loss of Chip Harrell, who was the longtime owner of The Sandpiper Lounge with his brother, Chuck.
Harrell’s uncle opened the Sandpiper in 1942, known affectionately by locals as the Dirty Bird, and owned it for about 12 years. The Sandpiper was sold and changed hands four times before Chip and Chuck purchased the establishment in 1969. The brothers had just come home from serving in the military that year and were encouraged by their mother to “try the bar business.”
Harrell passed away Sept. 4, according to The Sandpiper’s online statement:
The Laguna Beach Independent will publish a tribute to Harrell’s life in the Sept. 14 print and online editions.
I truly wish I’d met him, but my mother (Mary Margaret Harrell) kept this part of our family from me. I am Frances Lee, named after her sister Leezy (sp?) who died at the age of three in Mexico City. We were named after Francis Lightfoot Lee, going back many generations.
Rest in peace, cousin. I only just learned about you, and I will not forget you.