Lauren Levis

   Lauren Levis was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico on February 1, 1984. On August 5, 2024, she passed away unexpectedly at Soul Centro Retreat in Costa Rica. Lauren is preceded in death by her parents Mike and Tacey, and her sister Yancey. She is survived by her brother Arthur “Ty” Levis and his wife Jessica, nieces Marri Cano and Julianna Levis, nephews Evan Levis and Michael Levis, grand-nephew Rashad Tucker, Jr., and partner in life, Juno Sisneros. Lauren’s presence in life affected and embraced an extensive, close, and loving network of family and friends. We all grieve this senseless loss and collectively grapple with learning the truth behind the circumstances which pulled her charismatic smile and vibrant spirit away from us too soon. 

   Lauren was the youngest of three siblings and the purest of joys to her parents as their cherished ‘late-in-life’ baby. Mike and Tacey reveled in the adventurous character of their last child and constantly wavered between celebration and worry as she participated in almost every sport with fervent, wildly-focused energy. Lauren was not afraid to try or do anything. Her adventurous nature brought her around the world and into the hearts of people from all walks of life. Lauren grew up in Galisteo, NM and attended St. Michael’s and Santa Fe High Schools. Lauren went on to study kinesiology at University of Nevada, Las Vegas and graduated in 2006. After graduating, she spent some time in California working, playing, and establishing her own sense of independence. Lauren eventually came home to Santa Fe and continued to ground herself in the place from where she came. Lauren worked incredibly hard and diligently to earn double Master’s degrees in Public Health and Social Work through New Mexico State University, where she graduated in 2022 with honors. She was passionate about the promotion of substance abuse recovery programs after her own trials and struggles with addiction. Lauren gained a sense of peace and purpose in the past few years as her centralized goal was to educate and help others with addiction prevention and recovery. She further fulfilled her niche in life by charting her own course with the establishment of Catalyze New Mexico, which served recovery and mental health programs in New Mexico.. In 2024, Lauren was awarded the Behavioral Health and Planning Council’s Behavioral Health Star Award. She also most recently served as co-chair of Recovery Communities of New Mexico. 

   The writers of this obituary cannot funnel words into place to describe the charisma, stunning charm, strength, and deep hope Lauren embodied. She adored her nieces and nephews and fretted over ways to spoil them. She loved her dogs dearly, and with her “First Mate, Juno”, often took them on boating and other water-related outdoor adventures around their home state. Lauren’s generosity, dedication, and care for her friends and family was pure and sincere. Her bold, intrepid soul will continue to grow in all who connected with her as she continues onward into her next adventure.

 We are with you, Lauren. 

   A Celebration of Life for Lauren will be held for Lauren on October 19, 2024 from 1:00pm-3:00pm in the community room at Genoveva Chavez Community Center, Santa Fe. During this time, we will ask that her friends and family join in sharing stories that joyously celebrate Lauren’s life. In lieu of flowers, financial contributions can be made in Lauren’s name to National Alliance for Mental Illness (https://www.nami.org/), The Friendship Club (https://friendshipclubsantafe.org/) or the Concussion Legacy Foundation (https://concussionfoundation.org/).