Lauren Adele Naudain

Lauren Adele Naudain went to be with her Lord and Savior on Thursday, December 4, 2025. She was born in Houston, Texas in August of 1948 to Doris Smith Naudain and Albert Gage Naudain. Lauren grew up with her siblings Gage, Paul, and Priscilla. She spent most of her childhood in Hackensack and Allendale, New Jersey, spending summers in upstate New York, where she fondly remembered swimming with her siblings in the local swimming hole and playing on the swinging bridge. Lauren and her family moved to Portland, Oregon where Lauren excelled in horseback riding, eventually going to riding school in Europe.

Lauren was a skilled baker and cake decorator. She found great joy in creating beautiful and edible works of art to put atop her delicious cakes and cupcakes to celebrate births, weddings, and birthdays of her family and friends. She was also an avid animal lover, rescuing kitties, dogs, bunnies, and even an owl once. She cared for baby animals at the Portland Zoo nursery, especially enjoying the hijinks of the baby orangutangs.

Lauren married Jim Heard and the two of them had one child, Andrew 'Drew' Heard.

Lauren's greatest joy was found in her children and grandchildren who call her Grandma. Grandma's boys were the center of her universe. In recent years, Lauren spent her days with her grandchildren Easton, Gideon, and Joseph playing, reading, teaching, listening, telling stories, playing games, drawing, coloring, painting, and sculpting. She loved to curl up with a bag of white cheddar popcorn and watch whatever her grandchildren would enjoy and spoke fondly of watching the Ninja Turtles and Sonic the Hedgehog. When anyone had a cut or scrape, Grandma had band aids and "tickle spray." Grandma's patience with middle-of-the-night visits from her grandchildren knew no bounds; there was never a time when she did not want her children and grandchildren with her. Lauren encouraged her grandsons to develop their unique talents and loved nothing more than having them over for a visit and a Fat Boy. She was quick to listen, hug, and give whatever time or resources they needed without question or hesitation.

Lauren was the mom every mom should aspire to be. Always loving, giving, caring, generous, kind, welcoming, making sure her children and grandchildren were safe and happy. There will forever be a gap in our family that cannot be satisfied and a hole in our hearts that cannot be filled, but we will also forever be tied to her by heart-strings that cannot be broken and we will carry on her legacy of love.

Lauren is survived by her son Drew and daughter-in-love Melissa and her grandchildren Easton, Gideon, and Joseph, as well as her brother Paul and sister Priscilla and many nieces and nephews. She is proceeded in death by her mother Doris, father Albert, and brothers Gage and Glenn.

Lauren was laid to rest at City View Cemetery in Salem, Oregon. A memorial will be announced soon.

Lauren – Mom, Grandma, Sister, Friend

Her lips are now silent. No longer speaking words of kindness, love, encouragement.

Her hands are now folded. No longer writing, sharing, creating.

Her arms are now still. No longer hugging, cuddling, holding.

Her feet are now resting. No longer coming or going, running or dancing.

Her mind is now quiet. No longer worrying, imagining, dreaming, thinking.

But our lips are not silent. We can speak words of kindness, love, and encouragement.

Our hands are not folded. We can write, share, create.

Our arms are not still. We can hug, cuddle, and hold.

Our feet do not need rest. We can come and go, run and dance.

Our minds are not quiet. We can still worry, imagine, create.

And we will. Because she did. And we will honor her by speaking words of life, holding each other close, dreaming, creating, hugging, cuddling, dancing, and loving.

Until we can do it all again. With her.