“She was one of the kindest, softest people you’d ever meet,” he said.
A qualified teacher, Lauren has been doing relief work at a Taihape pharmacy and was planning to study as a trainee technician.
She was a quiet and loving person and liked being out in the countryside away from people, and often walked around their family’s Mangaweka farm and climbed trees.
She adored animals and had many pet chickens and lambs on the farm.
“She was a vegetarian and we weren’t allowed to kill anything on the farm,” Ken said.
Lauren with one of her pet chickens. Photo/ Supplied
Jean Somerville said her younger sister had “a gentle nature” and laughed about everything.
“She’d be out there getting tackled by a sheep and she’d laugh about it.”
The Somervilles are a tight-knit family and Lauren loved spending time with her siblings and was very close to her nieces and nephews.
Jean said Lauren was a homebody and took care of their parents who live on the farm.
“She was innocent and a little bit naive about the world.
“She would take any bug outside. She literally wouldn’t hurt a fly or an ant.”
But despite enjoying home comforts she also liked to travel.
Earlier this year Lauren holidayed in Rarotonga and she’d also been to Europe, Japan and on several cruises through the Pacific Islands with her family.
