Leanne Holland Brown remembered as compassionate, supportive and a mentor

“This is a sad day, this a difficult day. But this is also a day we are going to talk about the hope that we have.” said Pastor Ken Taylor.

On Thursday afternoon, family and friends of Leanne Holland Brown filled Creekside Church in Waterloo to remember the Dean of Students at Wilfrid Laurier University.

The 43-year-old wife and mother of two was killed the afternoon of Wednesday, April 24.

She was out for a walk when she was hit by a car.

One of her friends told the memorial service, Leanne would hate everything about an unplanned departure like this, “She was always thoughtful, kind and organized. She knew how to make connections with people and how give a meaningful goodbye and let you know how she felt. She would have wanted to touch base with everyone, just to make sure they were okay.”

“She was so full of joy, kindness and love. She brought people together.” said another friend.

She said Leanne built an amazing village. “We are Leanne's village and we are here for you. We love you.” she told Leanne's husband Ken, two sons, Holden and Andrew and entire family.

Her husband Ken also spoke at the celebration of life.

“Last Wednesday, Leanne, my wife and best friend of 23 years met a force that was catastrophic in so many ways. But like any force, there's always an equal and opposite reaction.” he said. “The outpouring of support, prayer and provision for anything our family needs is that reaction and a direct result of Leanne's connection between you and us.”

At his wife's visitation, he said he continued to marvel at how many people shared a connection with her, “Words like compassionate, lovely, kind, supportive, mentor, leader, friend, listener and the list goes on.”

Ken Brown said all that speaks to Leanne's character. “And it's her character that I will miss most. Because character isn't built on the outside, it comes from within. From a place where we do … what we do when no one is watching.”

He said he'll still be able to tap into her character, as she always kept a journal.

He then read an entry from January 2019, where Leanne wrote about spending that Sunday with her family –  “Be truth, be love, be present, words to live by.” – is how she ended it.

The service ended with a video, full of pictures of Leanne, her family and friends.

Laurier has established a memorial fund in Holland Brown's name to honour her legacy at the university, you can donate here.

On Wednesday, a 56-year-old Cambridge man was charged in connection with the crash.

He faces charges, including impaired driving, driving a vehicle with cannabis readily available and dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death.

His name has not been released yet.