Honoring Laurie Reed: A Celebration of Life

As many of you may know, On August 26th my mother Laurie Reed passed away from natural causes in her home. My mother was a vibrant woman, she was strong willed, resilient, and always knew how to have fun. Anyone who know Laurie knew that she was a character; she always had a little song or comeback ready to go, a dance move to hit, and she always spoke her mind. I think it's safe to say she made an impact on the lives of everybody she met, from family and friends to strangers on the bus or in line at the DMV.

I am my mother's only child, and I know that all of the challenges she faced she overcame because she loved me. Though my mom and I had our differences at times, I can say that my mom and I grew closer than ever in these last few years. It was a time of a lot of healing for both of us, together and individually. She had overcome so much and was so proud of living alone, and was always excited to hear my boring work stories. She would insist on cooking me spaghetti and garlic bread when I came over, and I would try to make sure she was going out and doing something fun from time to time.

My mom always made it clear to me that she wished to be cremated, and wasn't too concerned about the details of a funeral or anything like that. I've decided that the best way to honor her memory would be a celebration of life with a relaxed vibe. She was always happy hanging out with friends and family, kicking back with a beer or can of coke, listening to the music she loved and just enjoying the company.

I've created this page to hopefully help raise some funds for the event when the time comes, as well as to create a page where I can post updates in a centralized location and people can leave comments for my mom and our family if they'd like. More details will be posted here and on Facebook as plans begin to materialize. My hope is to have the celebration be in October (my mom loved Halloween, so it feels fitting), and it will be in the Santa Clara or San Jose area.

Thank you for reading this and taking time to keep Laurie in your thoughts and prayers.