Erin Davis remembers daughter's 'large, short life' at memorial

Lauren Davis was just 24 years old when she died in her sleep after spending her first Mother's Day with her infant son, but her young age didn't stop the popular Ottawa radio host from living what her mother describes as "a large, short life."

Lauren Davis's mother, CHFI Toronto radio personality Erin Davis, and many others celebrated the radio personality's life at a memorial Friday in Toronto

Davis reflected on her daughter's fierce determination.

"Lauren did what Lauren wanted to do and nothing held her back," said Davis.

The young mother was on maternity leave from her role as the midday news anchor and host of Ottawa Noon on 580 CFRA at the time of her death, apparently from a "cardiac event" that remains unexplained.

Davis said at the memorial that she and her family are grateful that her daughter died quickly and painlessly in her sleep.

She and husband Phil Shirakawa, who were married two years ago, welcomed the birth of their son Colin last October.

Davis said she prepared for the memorial by "sifting through pictures" and "combing through memories" of her daughter, and expressing grief in an emotional entry in her public journal.

"If you were to ask us even today, as we huddle together shrouded in grief, whether we'd choose to eschew this deep sadness and pain if it meant we didn't have our one and only child, we'd have to say, 'No!'," Erin wrote in Thursday's entry.

"As someone wise said, pain is the price you pay for love."

Toronto memorial

Friends and family gathered Friday for the service at the Royal Conservatory of Music's Koerner Hall.

The tribute, led by Rev. Susanne McKim, opened with moving rendition of Billy Joel's Lullabye sung by Lighthouse vocalist Dan Clancy, accompanied by pianist David Warrack, with lyrics adapted by Erin Davis.

A service was held earlier this month in Ottawa for Lauren Davis's Ottawa co-workers and friends.

As co-host of 98.1 CHFI's morning show, Erin Davis is a popular figure in Toronto.

The 52-year-old frequently invites listeners to share in her life through her online journal and by recording special broadcasts from her home, which she shares with husband Rob Whitehead.

One week after Lauren's birth in 1991, the station set up remote equipment in her home so she could continue her broadcast work for three weeks "with her baby in her arms," the memorial program reads.

"Just as her sudden departure would 24 short years later, Lauren made national news for her on-air presence."

Suffered 'catastrophic cardiac event'

While mourners were able to pay tribute to Lauren Davis at Friday's memorial, the family is still unable to hold a funeral.

The initial coroner's report was inconclusive, and plans for a funeral are being held up by "intricate medical examinations" into her death, explained a newsletter to CHFI's "loyalty club" listeners earlier this month.

In Erin Davis's message to fans Thursday, she acknowledged how difficult it was to have "no answers about what caused Lauren's catastrophic cardiac event."

"Trust me, we ask the very same questions," she writes. "But even answers won't bring our girl back. And so we go on."