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| Remember Always- Lauren Kelley |
 Lauren Kelley, 17, was looking forward to going to New Milford High School's junior prom Friday night with her boyfriend.
She bought a baby blue prom dress that matched her blue eyes. On Wednesday, she went with her friend to get her nails done.
The New Milford High School senior started to get things organized for prom Thursday night with the help of her mother, Peggy Jewell, who gave her a pedicure.
"She was very upbeat, really happy," said Jewell. All of Lauren's friends said the prom was a big highlight for her.
Tragically, her boyfriend, New Milford High School junior Adam Reale, 16, ended up attending the prom alone. He went Friday to remember his girlfriend with friends and to comfort others.
Lauren had an epileptic seizure Thursday night and died. She suffered from epilepsy, a neurological condition that makes people susceptible to seizures, since she was 9 or 10 years old.
Reale stopped by Lauren's house before going to the prom Friday and Jewell gave him Lauren's boutonniere and other items she thought he would want, including a CD and a journal.
Jewell said her daughter's death was sudden. After she helped Lauren in her room Thursday night, she went into another room to watch TV.
After about an hour, Jewell called to her daughter and heard no answer. She thought maybe Lauren fell asleep. When she went to check on her, she found Lauren on the floor beside her bed.
She'd had a seizure, and it was too late to revive her. Lauren was on medication to control her seizures and was vigilant about taking it because she hated having seizures, Jewell said.
Her last seizure was on Easter, but prior to that she hadn't had one for about a year, her mother said.
Jewell and her daughter had a close relationship. They would go shopping together.
"We talked about everything," Jewell said. "I was very lucky to have such a close relationship with my daughter. She had the biggest heart in the world."
She said her daughter was very sensitive and kind and liked to have fun.
Lauren was also close with her brother, Eric Kelley, 19, who lives in South Carolina with their father, Jim Kelley.
Lauren lived with her mother in New Milford, but spent her junior year in high school at a private school in South Carolina near her father.
For Easter, Eric Kelley came to New Milford. He graduated from New Milford High School in 2004.
Jewell called the school Friday to speak with Lauren's friends, who gathered to talk about Lauren in the guidance office.
The school told students about Lauren's death and said if they wanted to talk about her or get counseling they could go to the guidance office. Teachers could also get counseling.
"We decorated her locker today," said Lauren's close friend Amanda Kreinus, a 15-year-old sophomore.
Lauren's locker was covered with a big piece of paper that had messages written to her and two of her favorite poems. It also included the lyrics to Lauren's favorite high school chorus song, "For Good."
The last time Kreinus saw Lauren was Thursday after school when they walked to their buses to go home.
"She gave me a big hug and said 'I love you,'" Kreinus said.
Almost every weekend, they went to the movies with their boyfriends.
"We liked watching scary movies and making fun of our boyfriends," Kreinus said.
The two also shared a love for music.
Lauren's favorite band was My Chemical Romance, a pop-punk type band, Kreinus said. And she remembers Lauren loved Lipton Iced Tea and had to have one wherever she went.
Another big part of Lauren's life was her family and boyfriend. Kreinus said she would get hand-written letters at school from Lauren about how much she loved them.
Riele, who dated Lauren for five months, described her as very compassionate and caring.
"She had a great sense of humor," he said.
"She was always making friends laugh," said Grace Harper, 15, a New Milford High School freshman who met Lauren in chorus class this year.
Lauren wanted to make everyone happy, said Brinna Kolitz, 15, a New Milford High School sophomore. "We loved her."
Lauren also loved little kids, and baby-sat her next door neighbor's children and her mother's friend's child.
She wanted to go to college to become an elementary school teacher.
Lauren's good friend Lindsay Kettner, 17, a New Milford High School senior, was in a childhood literature class with Lauren. They read children's books, wrote lesson plans and did essays.
The class had been assigned to do an essay workbook about an experience in their lives.
Lauren was almost done with hers, said Kettner. She hopes to be able to get the book and finish it for Lauren.
Tuesday, another friend took a picture of the two with their tongues stuck out. Kettner was able to get the picture from the school's dark room on Friday.
Kettner said Lauren was excited about Friday's junior prom and they were planning to go to the senior prom together with their dates.
"She always put everyone before herself," Kettner said. "She did anything to make you smile. She was just a sweetheart. It has been really, really hard." --
Danbury News Times
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