Family and friends of Julia Cleveland remembered her as a caring and vibrant artist during a celebration of life on Sunday after she was killed in a crash last month.

The jazz musician died after a collision near Annette Street and Pacific Avenue on Sept. 23. A 57-year-old man has been charged with one count of careless driving causing death and two counts of careless driving causing bodily harm in connection with the crash, police said Friday.

Cleveland’s sister, Tara, told CBC Toronto the past two weeks have been a nightmare.

“We were very close and I can’t imagine what a future is going to be like without her,” she said at the memorial of life, which was held at the University of Toronto’s Walter Hall.

Cleveland, 46, performed her final recital at Walter Hall, Tara said. She was also an alumni of the university, having studied classical percussion performance, and worked there for several years after graduating.

Julia Cleveland’s sister, Tara, said the past two weeks without her sister have been a nightmare. ‘I can’t imagine what a future is going to be like without her,’ she said. (Spencer Gallichan-Lowe/CBC)

Tara described Cleveland as quirky, creative and caring. Cleveland loved her garden, where she had set up several bird feeders and bird fountains. The sisters would chat and drink tea together while watching the birds.

“She used to call it ‘bird TV,'” Tara said.

A lover of playing music and playing games alike, Cleveland had “so much spirit,” Tara said. “She was so alive.”

Man charged with careless driving causing death 

On the evening of Sept. 23., the man charged was driving a Hyundai Elantra north on Pacific Avenue, while a woman was driving a Hyundai Tucson west on Annette Street, police said in a news release Friday. The man hit the woman’s car, redirecting it onto the northwest corner of the intersection where Cleveland and another man were walking on the sidewalk.

Cleveland was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other man was taken to hospital with minor injuries. Tara said the injured man was Julia’s partner.

The collision happened in the area of Annette Street and Pacific Avenue, near Dundas Street W. and Keele Street, shortly after 8 p.m. on Sept. 23. (CBC)

Under the Highway Traffic Act, a person convicted of careless driving causing death faces a fine between $2,000 to $50,000, up to two years in prison or both penalties. Their driver’s license may be suspended for up to five years.

Tara said it was shocking “that somebody could be careless and kill somebody in their car and could get away with just paying a fine.”

She added, “It’s a tragedy on top of another tragedy.”

Cleveland was a champion of Toronto artists: friend 

Cleveland’s family friend, Caitlin McPhail Burrell, owns the Bluebird Bar, located near the city’s Roncesvalles neighbourhood. Cleveland initiated the bar’s weekly live music nights and programmed them regularly before the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.

“She was a huge champion of giving a space to local artists, giving them a platform and creating a small-town feel with everyone having the opportunity to play and share their talents in Toronto,” Burrell said.

Cleveland, a jazz musician and composer, studied classical percussion performance at the University of Toronto. (Spencer Gallichan-Lowe/CBC)

Burrell said she was texting Cleveland only hours before she died. Her death is a significant loss for the Bluebird community and the city overall, she said.

“It’s completely incomprehensible that all of a sudden we’re here planning eulogies for her when she was such a huge part of our lives,” Burrell said.

Friend Chris Gale formerly played in Cleveland’s band, where she played the drums. He said Cleveland was an accomplished classical percussionist, as well as an excellent composer and performer.

Cleveland had a broad musical scope and was a member of a taiko ensemble, which is a Japanese drumming artform, Gale said.

Playing music together was fun and intense “in a beautiful way,” he said.

“She wrote tunes with such a level of integrity and intent, the passion on the page translated to the music,” he said. “She compelled you to play better.”