To Ellie,

The moment I met you in ceramics I knew I wanted to be your friend. You connected with me in ways I couldn’t connect with everyone. We shared so many experiences that I always felt alone in until I met you. Your soul was as beautiful as your smile. You reached every heart of every person you met. It was truly incredible. No matter what was happening in the world you greeted everyone with open arms and reassuring words. I saw how much you cared for everyone every day and I will never forget it. All of  the lessons I learned from you were pure, and well beyond your amazing years. The craziest part is that most of the time you didn’t even know you were setting such an example of what it meant to be a good person. I will never forget our days in ceramics when we wouldn’t even do work, we would just talk and laugh. Or when we would fail horribly on our projects and re-start, and usually not finish them… but it was ok because we were happy just to be present and try. Buddy and I are going to miss our walks with you and Lucy more than you will ever know. Thank you for being you, and thank you for being in my life, I love you, I miss you, I am thankful to know you are at peace. 

A special note to Pat, Darcie, and Cole. Ellie’s warmth and love came straight from you, the ways in which you all cared for people meant more than you know to everyone in Ellie’s life and those around you. Words cannot express how my heart breaks for all of you. You are in my thoughts and prayers. I promise I will not forget your daughter, your sister, or your family.