Once upon a time Alyssa was born. She was born in the fall in the clean crisp air of September, before the cold set in. She had a mom and a dad and a brother, a brother that welcomed her into the world with a hearty slap on the head. She was born and raised in Indiana, at times in Fort Wayne and at times in Leo. They say a perpetual motion machine cannot exist, but Alyssa did exist. Always on the move, she lived many places over her life and touched many hearts.

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     Growing up, Alyssa was an unabashed talker. If you had a minute to spare, then she would want at least an hour or more to share her dazzling array of stories and fantastical thoughts. Inquisitiveness, or as some would say, meddling, was her forte. Whether it was getting into mom’s makeup and scissors and locking the door to the bathroom to give herself a “makeover” or decorating the house with “pretty ribbons” gleefully pulled out of all of dad’s VHS tapes, she was never short on ideas or adventures.

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     Alyssa loved genuinely and completely. She was known to collect animals to take care of, and she always made herself available to family and friends in times of need. The consummate nurturer, she was in love with her surprise baby sister, Stella, and her nephew, Parker. In truth, there was not a baby or animal she met that she did not love.

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     In recent years Alyssa had struggles, as we all tend to have in life. She fought immensely and to exhaustion against the dark and the pain. However, Alyssa was not defined by how she faltered, but by how she persevered. Our hope and hers too, we are sure, would be that anyone in need of help reach out and take hold of a warm hand in the night.

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     Alyssa was our mess maker, our silly girl, our food critic, our traveling gypsy. She had so much love to give, and sadly her life was cut too short. Though her sun today is setting, her bright and beautiful morning is just daybreak away. She will be missed forever and after.