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Live · Laugh ·
Love
 Katie Shirley had a
handful of mottos by which she lived her brief, yet beautiful, life. Among
them were “Princesses have
responsibilities and the first one is to ‘do good’”; “Live, Laugh,
and Love”; and “You can never love too much”. Each of these exemplifies how Katie chose to live her life each
and every day. As a daughter, she was devoted and protective of her
family; as a friend, she was loyal and compassionate; and as a person of
the world, she always chose to be kind and generous, most especially with
those who needed it the most. When she went to a favorite local diner with
her parents, Katie worried about the older gentleman who always ate by
himself, wanting to go and join him so he wouldn’t be lonely. When a
classmate, one she didn’t even know, was obviously having a difficult
time, she would join up with them in the hallway, introduce herself and
walk with them to class.
Katie’s gentle and nurturing nature,
as well as her sense of humor, was easy to see when she was with children,
most especially when she was instructing her five year old cousin on the
responsibilities of being a Princess, as she prepared her to take over the
role she had held within the family for her eighteen years. Her generosity
was apparent as a child, when she readily offered to share her new puppy
with her cousins, who did not have, but desperately wanted, a dog of their
own; and as a young woman, when she would stay up nearly all night to help
a friend with a class project or to make another classmate a scrapbook,
memorializing their happy times together.
When Katie’s parents
asked her friends to offer one word or phrase that would describe ‘their’
Katie, each person came up with something unique, every one a lovely and
accurate tribute to the caring, sensitive and thoughtful person Katie was.
They alternately described her as “extroverted: outgoing and
gregarious”, “radiant, bright with joy and hope. You couldn’t not
be happy around her; she was always smiling, even when you knew she wasn’t
in the best mood.” They remember her as “willing, always willing to
do anything and up for everything”, “compassionate: I remember walking
through the halls at (high) school and always knowing she would say “Hi”
to me in the sweetest way you can imagine”. “It wasn’t enough for her to
be happy herself if her friends were sad; she brought a little light
everywhere she went”.
“Silly, selfless, stubborn and
sensational.” “Shining” (how many of us will ever be described
as ‘shining’, really?). Each word is electric in its energy, just like
Katie. But these individual words, while heartfelt and thoughtful, are
just that, individual, solitary. When these words are brought together, as
in this attempt to bring forth this wonder of a girl, this indescribable
young lady, they come alive, they become something greater than they are
when set alone on the page. In the same way, those who knew Katie, and
remember her in their hearts, became more alive by just having been
touched by her presence, however briefly.
Written by Katie's Aunt
Maureen
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