Janina Tina Spalvins Ley

JANINA TINA SPALVINS LEY
LOS ANGELES, CA - Janina Tina Spalvins Ley, 31, beloved daughter, sister and wife, died Thursday, December 27th, 2007, at her parents' home in Marshfield, MA of unknown causes.
Janina was born in Boston, MA on July 8th, 1976 and grew up in Marshfield with her parents and older brother, Janka. She was, along with her family, heavily involved in the Latvian community of the greater Boston area. She attended Latvian school in Brookline on Saturdays and spent her summers attending Latvian camps in the Poconos, Michigan and New Hampshire. Blessed with boundless energy, an enormous heart and a smile that could light up a room, Janina truly touched the lives of everyone she met. Her warm and loving manner served her well when, while still in high school, she worked as both a nanny for a family of five children and a volunteer at the Situate Ocean Manor nursing home. Janina was an accomplished artist and musician from an early age. While in high school, one of her paintings won the prestigious Gold Key at the Boston Globe Scholastic Art Awards. Later in college, she was selected as the Principal Second Violinist for a performance with the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra. She graduated from Marshfield High School in 1994 and earned her B.A. in Advertising Design from Syracuse University in 1999.
Janina moved back to Boston after college where she worked in marketing for the MacGregor Group. In 2001, she moved to Los Angeles where she met her husband, Frederick Bradford Ley, a native Ithacan. The couple married in Piesaule, New Hampshire on October 15th, 2005. In Los Angeles, Janina continued to pursue her love of art by painting and serving as a volunteer at the J. Paul Getty Center, where she was heavily involved in the children's program. An avid runner, she ran the Los Angeles Marathon three times (twice soundly beating her husband). She loved to cook and spend time with her dog, Ginnie and her bunnies, Ghetto Superstar and Marie Antoinette. She is survived by her husband, Brad; her parents, John and Guna Spalvins; and her brother, Janka.
A Memorial Service will be held at 3 p.m. this Saturday at the Latvian Lutheran Church of Boston, 58 Irving Street, Brookline, MA 02445. In lieu of flowers, her family asks that donations be sent to New Hope For Animals, 9123 Hazen Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210.