Tasha Laurie

It is with profound sadness that the family of Tasha Dawn Laurie announce her passing on September 29th, 2024 at the age of 41 years old after a courageous battle with cancer.

Tasha is survived by her husband of 17 years, Justin; children: Rory (16), Brayden (16) and Kylah (13); her mother Karen; her grandfather Ken, as well as countless family and friends that were all important parts of her life.

Tasha is predeceased by her grandmother Jean Shaul; Auntie Brenda Shaul and father David Briscoe.

Born and raised in Stony Plain by her mother Karen and grandparents Ken and Jean, Tasha lived her life full of zest and an energy that was often unmatched. Her love of all animals, big and small, started at a young age which included her hamster PD that would sit in grandma Jean’s shirt pocket as she did her fancy work. Tasha’s love of animals brought horses into her life, joining the Pony Club and participating in Prince Philip Mounted Games. This brought her to Australia to represent Canada at a competition, where she was still infamously recognized as Jean Shaul’s granddaughter, a title that she so proudly wore. Horses continued to be integrated into her life as she worked as a trail ride guide at Pegasus Stables, where she first put Justin back onto a horse after he swore he would never ride one again after a childhood experience. Pegasus Stables became the beautiful backdrop for their eventual wedding.

Upon their marriage, Tasha found her life’s next greatest adventure when she became a mother for the first time to her twin boys, Cheese and Crackers. Their family was complete a few years later when she gave birth to her precious little girl, Peeker. Motherhood came natural to Tasha, and she was always her children’s biggest cheerleader, fiercest protector, loudest advocate, and source of unending love and inspiration. Many days and nights were spent in the stands of a gymnastics center or on the sideline of a soccer field, and everyone always knew when Tasha was there, and who her favorite three athletes were, though she would never be shy to cheer for everyone else.

As her children grew and started school, Tasha undertook a new love and passion for fitness that began as a personal journey and grew, allowing her to share her infectious energy to help and motivate others. The bright colors and loud, rhythm-filled Latin music of Zumba filled Tasha’s soul as she spread this joy with others. While never the best dancer herself, Tasha had a smile like no other and would often tell her students “if you are smiling, you are doing it right!”. As her passion grew, she expanded her ability to help and inspire others by obtaining many other certifications and professional teachings. She even found her inner zen becoming a yoga teacher and loved nothing more than to combine that with her love of animals by teaching goat yoga. She had a special place in her heart for seniors, and would use this love and her energy in classes specifically for them to encourage them that age was nothing more than a number and everyone was capable of being active and having fun. Her fitness journey also paired well with her love of community and dedication to giving back that was instilled in her by her Grandma.

Tasha had a knack for always helping others and finding ways to make a positive impact. For many years through her fitness journey, she would host free summer classes outdoors, simply asking participants to bring an item for the Parkland Food Bank. She was active in her kids’ schools, serving on both the school council and the parent fundraising society. She spent countless hours at the school helping with fundraisers, events, pizza Fridays and much more. She volunteered with animal rescues helping with adoption events, fostering animals, and sitting on their board of directors. Tasha followed in her grandmother’s love of “fancy work” and would often have multiple projects on the go, choosing to donate them to various causes such as Pride in the Park, to be used as auction items to help raise money. Tasha also became involved in her kids’ sports, including becoming a soccer coach even though she was scared she did not know enough about the sport. However her ability to learn and motivate ensured that every player left with a smile on their face.

Tasha was never shy, and after receiving her cancer diagnosis in early 2023, she continued to think of others, creating her “My Cervical Cancer Journey…” story. She documented every good, bad, and ugly aspect of her battle with cancer, and shared this with others to help provide them with encouragement to check in with their doctors, and so that no one would have to battle alone. Her raw honesty helped many other people face their own journeys and gave them inspiration and hope. We are ever thankful for all the people we have met and stories we have been told of how Tasha impacted others. Even before her diagnosis, she became involved in the Spruce Grove, Stony Plain & Parkland County – Terry Fox Run, as a participant and volunteer. The 2024 Terry Fox Run would be Tasha’s final act of service where despite being helped around the course in a wheelchair, she fought to be there, emulating the theme of #NoMatterWhat, helping exceed their fundraising goal, and cementing her incredible legacy.

Tasha was unapologetically herself and lived her life to the fullest. She loved her family, pets, and friends deeply and passionately. Her loss will forever be felt, but her legacy will live on filled with love, compassion, resilience.

A celebration of Tasha’s life will be held November 10th, from 1pm to 4pm at Heritage Park, in the Spruce Grove Hall, located at 5100 41 Ave, Stony Plain, Alberta. We ask those attending the celebration to wear bright colors or your favorite sports jersey.

In lieu of flowers, we would offer the following alternatives that would honour Tasha:

Support Tasha’s children’s future post secondary education expenses by etransfer to [email protected]

Support the Fostering Hope Animal Rescue Foundation by making a donation online at https://www.fosteringhoperescue.com/

Supporting the Alberta Cancer Foundation and the Cross Cancer Institute by making a donation online at www.albertacancer.ca/in-memory

Tasha’s family would like to express their sincere thanks to Dr. Christa Aubrey and all the doctors and entire care team involved in her journey. A special thanks to all the staff at the Cross Cancer Institute and the Lois Hole Hospital for Women, particularly ward 3 East.