'Full of life and love': Husband's emotional tribute to wife Lauren Watts who died before son's first day of preschool
QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA: A grief-stricken husband remembered his "partner-in-crime" as he penned a moving tribute for his beloved wife, who was the "heart of the family" after she died unexpectedly while they were getting ready for their son’s first day of pre-school.
Lauren Watts, 40, who hailed from Queensland, tragically died on Tuesday, January 24. The exact circumstances of her death are yet to be revealed but her husband Drew Duncan described her tragic death as sudden. Remembered as a doting mother, Lauren is survived by Duncan, and their four loving children, Olivia, Will, Jimmy and Jude. In an emotional open letter to his late wife, Duncan said Lauren kept their family going regardless of the challenges life threw their way.
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"My love, my partner in life, my partner in crime (before the kids came along) and amazing Mum to our kids," Duncan wrote in a Facebook post. "You were the heart of our family and kept it beating with your love. Unfortunately, I think you must have used up all of your own beats on everyone else. You kept fighting for the best for all of us when crap cards kept getting dealt our way," he added.
Watts pursued a dual degree at the University of the Sunshine Coast, earning a bachelor’s degree in Nursing Science and another in Midwifery. "You kept fighting for the best for all of us when crap cards kept getting dealt our way," Duncan continued. "Your passion was on show in everything you did. You always put everyone before yourself. You worked harder than anyone should have to to make our family, your career, and our life together. We had more challenges than most and met them head-on together... Love you, Baby. Forever and ever."
The couple’s devastated friends have also set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the funeral expense and their children’s future. The fundraising page described Watts as a mother “full of life and love," who never stopped smiling despite being faced with difficult challenges. “Lauren was full of life and love. Even through the difficulties life threw at her, she never stopped smiling and laughing,” friend Jacq Lawson said.
"Drew and Lauren spent a lifetime together and built a wonderful family. They stood together facing everything the world could throw at them," the page continued. "Drew not only lost his partner, but their four young children lost their wonderful mother. He really wished Loz knew how loved she was by so many. The world is a little less sunny without your light here."