Lauren Annette Shpeley

Lauren, daughter of Sonja Barnes and Raymond Shpeley, was born August 17, 1985 in Scarborough, Ontario. The fourth of five children, she graduated from Lord Elgin (now Robert Bateman) High School in Burlington, Ontario in 2004. West Hill, Niagara Falls, Oakville, Wetaskiwin, Hamilton, Toronto and Ottawa were places she would call home at various times of her life. Especially significant to her was her time spent volunteering at the Toronto People with Aids Foundation.

As a baby, Lauren had the biggest, beautiful smile and, at times, the loudest shriek which would invoke from her Aunt Judy the response, “oh for Pete’s sake, someone put that child out her misery!" Lauren lost her shriek as she matured but she never lost her smile or her rebellious streak. Where her other siblings tended toward academic or technological goals, Lauren showed more social insight at an earlier age. Many people who knew Lauren would say she had a darker side to her, some of which influenced her love of heavy metal music. She had very little place in her life for social norms, as many other artistic souls do, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Lauren had the deep suffering soul of an artist.

Lauren was predeceased by her eldest brother James and is survived by her parents Sonja and Raymond, her siblings Allan, Erik and Katrina, and by her many cousins, aunts and uncles.

A remembrance of Lauren will be held on Saturday, April 27th at The 519 on 519 Church Street, Toronto at 6:00 p.m. Lauren’s family asks that in lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the Toronto People with Aids Foundation. https://www.pwatoronto.org/how-you-can-help/