My daughter

I had a story to share and I hope it can put a smile on your face. My name is Steve Polk. I actually grew up in Starkville and until a few years ago after my parents passed away they lived a few doors down from Trey Breckenridge. I live in Biloxi now and my Daughter, Elizabeth, became friends with Lake through mutual friends in Starkville. They were the same age and seemed to have many things in common. Elizabeth adored Lake and talked about her often and after her death, Elizabeth always referred to Lake as her “Angel”. I know the 6th of each month is a day that you will remember forever. And as strange as it is, today is the 6th. My Elizabeth asked me earlier this week to take her car and clean it out and detail it for her. I rarely go in her car and had no idea what to expect other than it was probably filthy. I found two things that I wanted to share with you. First, a round coaster in one of the cup holders that says “only drive as fast as your Angel can fly” and Secondly the attached from Lake’s service. I asked Elizabeth about it when I came in and she replied “she goes with me every where, she’s my Angel” I wanted to share this story with you and offer you continued God’s blessings to you and your family. Lake has made a difference in Elizabeth’s life and her memories continue with her. I hope all is well. If I can ever be of assistance to you with anything, please feel free to reach out.

Continued 💗

his name would be Daniel Laike! We even have a picturing ‘shaking on it’. When Lake passed, I saw it on the news and Reagan informed me that Lake was the inspiration behind my son’s name. She loved it and thought it would be different to add an “I” to it. At the time we chose his name, your angel was still on Earth. I knew I made the right decision in choosing my baby’s name especially when I found out where it came from. My Laike was born on September 11, 2019, which chills me because of the plane similarity. I recently noticed her name was also Elizabeth, which is my first name. (I was also in DYW!!) So now she lives in me (Elizabeth) and my son (Laike), making us feel honored to carry her memory on, even if it’s as little as our names. I just know God had His hand on the entire situation. I mourned her for your family and I know when her anniversary is each year. I just hope that your family knows that she’s living through a family she never knew, and that there’s a little boy who’s named after her and it couldn’t be more special for us. I pray he impacts his community and his loved ones as much as Lake did, I’ve always felt like she has been apart of it more than we know. Sending love to your family always, please feel free to check in on my Laike on social media at any time! I hope his smile brings you even the slightest bit of joy, even in your darkest days. Grateful for you girl, always 💕

I didn’t unfortunately but she’s apart of me 💗

I didn’t get the pleasure of knowing this beautiful girl, but I wish I did! I know she’s in Heaven beaming down on our little story, and on all of those who love and lost her. My best friend was set to be roommates with Lake in the pageant the year she passed. Months before, I found out I was blessed with a baby but wasn’t sure if it was a boy or a girl. My friend, Reagan, would send me lists of names often to help me think of a boy name because I already had my girl name picked out! Well, I stuck to Laike (with an I) but had to make sure it flowed with the first name Daniel in honor of my fiancé and his dad. Daniel Laike was just it for me, I wouldn’t budge. The main reason the middle name was important was because I planned for this child to go by his middle name instead of his first (because saying Daniel to 3 people did not sound fun to me lol). Fast forward we found out it was a boy and we knew

Through the Cutshall Family/Caden

I used to pick Caden from school when I worked for the Cutshall’s and Lake would almost always be with Caden. The very first time I picked up Lake with Caden, she was bubbly and hilarious. She made up a song with my name and I couldn’t stop laughing with her in the car. Every since then I just adored her presence and thought she was just precious. I just knew she had an incredible life ahead. Even though I knew her for a short time, she did live an incredible life and I’m thankful to have known her. She left a mark on many and me, especially. Fly high, Lake <3

Starkville/Heritage Rivalry

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Church and my older sister kaelynn

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Distinguished Young Women Pageant

I had never been in a pageant of an sorts before so the experience was so new to me. I’m not going to lie my thoughts took me to believe it would be like one of those movies where the girls are all mean. I never knew what to expect but I had wanted to gain more confidence in myself so I said why the heck not! Lake was the first girl to speak to me when I came in. Her aura was so big! I felt the most amazing energy she gave off the moment she spoke to me. She asked me if I had ever been in one before and I told her no. I thought this would proceed to a mean comment or something but I was taken aback by what she said next. “ You’re in for a real treat then! It’s going to be fun!” All I did was smile and say thanks but in my head I was like “ Wow this girl doesn’t even know me and she was being soo nice!” Honestly it was very refreshing because i wasn’t used to people being nice to me. So one of our practice days I couldn’t get the dances right simply because I’ve never really danced before, I was really agitated because all the other girls looked flawless while doing it. Lake apparently saw this and she came and asked if I wanted some help. Naturally I said no because I wanted to do it myself, but she asked again and she said she didn’t mind helping me. I said yes and she proceeded to help me learn the dance and we talked and laughed and that was when I truly new she was someone special! One of our first full rehearsals I was feeling lightheaded and I couldn’t breathe. I had fallen and passed out because the first person I saw when my eyes opened was Lake above me with a wet towel on my head and a water bottle. She asked me if I was okay and if I needed anything and I told her I was fine I just needed to rest. She and the other girls helped me up and made sure I was okay but seeing Lake first just showed me how much of an amazing person she was! Finally the day of the show came and she saw how nervous I was, she gave me a hug and told me not to be scared that I was gonna do great! She gave me to courage and strength not to be scared that day and I wasn’t when I got on that stage. For these memories live on forever in me, and I will always cherish them more than anything! Lake fly high🕊 I know you’re doing wonderful things where you are💖💖

Starkville Academy :)

My all time favorite memory of lake was when layton and my sister watched American Horror Story every wednesday night and since I couldn’t drive at the time, I had to go everywhere my sister went - At this specific time I had my permit (just not my license 🤫) and lake and I were craving sonic. Layton and Hannah being so into the show, they wouldn’t take us. So Lake and I decided to take matters into our own hands and take my sisters itty bitty car and go ourselves. Well we didn’t get that far. We got to the edge of her neighborhood and chickened out. “Let’s not go and just tell people we did” is what Lake kept saying. So as soon as I put it in reverse - bam. a mailbox. We were too scared to get in trouble so we never told anyone (or i hope so) But now when I think of that story, all i can remember is Lake laughing at me while i was trying not to cry.
i miss hearing that laugh and her crave for adventure 🤍

Starkville Academy/Middle School

It’s hard to tell every single wild story I have from middle school with Lake because there are so so many but as I look back on the moments I have with her I realize how much they have impacted who I am today by inspiring me to be courageous, outgoing, kind, loving, and so much more.

One time Lake, Mary Beth, and I took a trip to Atlanta to see One Direction in concert but the only thing was Mary Beth and I had floor tickets and Lake had a nose bleed ticket with my mom but said she would go for the “fun of the trip.” When it came to the day of the concert, Lake decided she wanted to sneak into the floor section with us without a ticket. She snuck in by hiding inside of a big group of people and to say we had the best time is an understatement.

Another time Lake, Rainey, Mary Beth, and I took a beach trip to Florida. One night at around midnight Lake suggested that we all go for a walk to “see the sea turtles.” We walked outside with our phone flashlights almost all the way down the beach and never saw a sea turtle but it was the absolute funniest night of my life. Mary Beth stepped on something while walking and I remember Lake just screaming “Come on we gotta keep on going!” All of the sudden we saw all the lights on every condo shut off and we realized they had all lost power. We began to walk up to go back to our room but couldn’t get back up because the elevator had shut off. There was another group who decided to go for a “midnight sea turtle beach walk” and Lake struck up a conversation with them without fear. I remember that we always described this night as a “had to be there moment” and it was because of all of the continuous jokes Lake made that had us laughing until our ribs hurt.

I think the most impactful moments during my friendship with Lake were during our sleep overs. There was a long period of time when we were staying up all night every single weekend having our “deep talks.” I remember these extremely well and they are so important to me as I realize that Lake taught me the most as a young middle schooler. In those group conversations we would share our biggest fears and our biggest dreams and almost every night ended with us in tears over how much we loved each other as a group of friends. I remember being so young listening to Lake who was the same age as me but always knew what to say and had the best advice. Lake always said “everything happens for a reason” and that stuck with me forever. She taught me just how deep friendship could be and I know I would not be the person I am today without those talks at 3am every weekend.

I also remember a time me and Lake got into a little bit of a falling out for a little while. I was in the process of transferring schools and me and Lake went our separate ways for a little. One day after all of that she showed up at my door to tell me that she loved me and that she wanted to put all of our middle school drama behind us and remember all of the good. I know that might sound a little dramatic now but it still means so much to me as I think about how to carry about Lakes qualities of love and forgiveness in my everyday life now.

Also if you accused Lake and the rest of her friend group in middle school about rolling your house it definitely WASN’T us

Miss Alaska Collegiate 2021

This ones a little more serious my friends. 💫

This is a picture of a young woman I never had the pleasure to meet, Elizabeth (Lake) Little. She was a pageant queen, becoming a pilot, a leader in Civil Air Patrol, and in the Air National Guard. Sound familiar? Her journey is much like my own.

She did not care what others thought of her while serving our country and maintaining her femininity. With her parents permission, I brought her photo with me on my journey to Nationals.

She wasn’t able to complete her 20 year career in the military, take her platform to her National pageant, or continue teaching young people in CAP. Promoting military, STEM, and women’s empowerment doesn’t start and stop with the crown. It’s young women like her that break glass ceilings for many to follow.
#CombatBootstoHighHeels

Tonight’s walk is dedicated to you Lake Little. 💕

On this day a year ago, Lake texted me asking me if I wanted to go steal glow in the dark golf balls during the annual Night Golf event at the country club. This was one of the many tricks Lake had up her sleeve. She loved to mess with people. We spent the night sprinting through the golf course and being chased by golf carts. It was a whole lot of fun, until I rolled my ankle and was totally over it. Lake, however, loved every minute of it. She loved any chance to be rebellious. When we got back to her house, I was limping and we both were covered in mud. She asked me if I wanted to spend the night at her house, saying we were way overdue for a 4 AM girls talk. I told her I really didn’t feel like it and wanted to just go home and get a shower. She asked me again, and I said not tonight. I walked out of her house looking back at her while she was rolling her eyes and shaking her head at me. This is a sight I will never forget because this was the last time I ever saw my best friend.

On the way to Memphis on July 6 and the weeks/months following the accident, I had never felt so much regret for not staying with her that night. Our 4 AM talks usually consisted of us talking about how we couldn’t wait to move away from Starkville and start college. We talked about what kind of friends we might make, what sorority we might join, and what extra curricular activities we might do. She talked all about her dreams of being a speech pathologist and a pilot and how she was going to get there. She was ambitious. We talked all about how we were going to visit each other so many times a semester. She had even already sent me the dates she was coming to Athens. She would talk about her future husband and how she hoped he would be a baseball player and make it to the pros. The most important topic we talked about to me was how excited we were to start this new journey in our life together. Although we would be over 6 hours from each other, we were still going to FaceTime almost every day so the other wouldn’t miss a beat. When I moved to Athens and had to remind myself that Lake wasn’t moving to Hattiesburg and going through the same experiences I would be going through, it hurt. My dad said something so simple to me one day during my transition, and it has really stuck with me. He said, “Lake is doing just fine, Caden.” That’s when I knew I had to enjoy every second of this new experience.

A few weeks before the accident, we had gone to Myrtle Beach for a country music festival. It was our last “hurrah” we said. On our last night, lake had this bright idea that we sneak into the VIP section to hear Thomas Rhett up close. At first Chandler and I rolled our eyes and told her there was no way. She then proceeded to go ask a local shop owner if she could borrow their scissors. We stood outside the VIP section for an hour trying to collect three VIP bands from strangers who were leaving. Lake tried everything from sweet talking to bribing people with 20 dollars. Finally, she did it and found us three VIP bands. That night was a night I will never forget. Towards the end of the show, Thomas Rhett announced he was going to play the song that meant the most to him off his album, “Remember You Young.” None of us had ever heard it before. As he played the song, I looked at lake and began to cry. Chandler asked me what was wrong, and I told him the song made me think of Lake and all the memories we had together. I thought to myself ”I’m going to miss her so much.” The meaning of that song changed a lot for me in the month to follow. Now when I listen to that song I think of nights when we would go steal glow in the dark golf balls, talk till 4 AM, hot tub and see shooting stars, and go on random drives because we needed to remind ourselves life was bigger than the things we were dealing with at the time.

I write this because Lake’s life has taught me and so many others that life is short. I try to see life through Lake’s eyes because she didn’t take any day for granted. As we near the year anniversary, I think about how beautiful she must look right now, walking with God on streets of gold with her custom made angel wings and big blonde hair.

#FlyHighLakeLittle
#LiveLikeLake

“I am a child of God...” These are the lyrics to the song: “No longer slaves.“

One year ago today, I was at JH ranch learning more about myself and growing closer with new friends and most importantly with God. We were on the way home from a white water rafting trip where we had no phones or no internet connection. Once we got back to where my TL’s phone would work she received a text saying “Breelyn needs to come to the office to call her parents, someone she knows has passed away.” Talk about vague. The whole way home, on the windy mountain roads, my heart was just racing because I had no idea who it could be. We arrived, and I immediately went to call my parents... and that is when I heard the news about my spunky, fun, most genuine, silly, encouraging friend had passed away- lake little. In that moment, nothing else mattered except that the one who was living out my dream also is now gone. But then, I realized who holds our future. Who is in control. Who loves us unconditionally. After my friend Emma and I sat on the floor and just cried together, we got up and went to worship that night. And this is where my heart changed, the song “No longer Slaves” began to play. The first words spoken were “I’m no longer a slave to FEAR.” Talk about God’s goodness. I still can’t believe it, but the legacy that Lake left was one that will never be forgotten. She made me a better person, and for that I am forever grateful.

I am not one to share my feelings publicly, however, I woke up this morning feeling like someone needed to hear this. I share this story to encourage people not to take your friends and family for granted. Life is short BUT God’s love is greater. Love you Lake!!💕

Lake lived up the street from me when she was a baby. She learned to walk at the house on Whites Cove. Then the Little family moved to Starkville.
Over the years with Facebook, we were able to keep in touch.
Earlier this year, I took notice of Lake. She was learning to fly at the right age to make it a career if she wanted.
She was smart, beautiful, funny, and seemed to have her game face on.
She was going to make it all happen.
Would she graduate from the University of Southern Mississippi? Would she fly a plane for the Mississippi Air Guard? Would she fly boxes for Fed-Ex? Would she help stroke victims learn to speak again? Would she fly to Mars?

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes...

She was on the path to catch the stars and put them in her pocket.

And then the path ended.

I can't wrap my brain around the Why?

I can't begin to understand the grief Pattie and David are feeling right now. I wish I could help take some of the pain from you but I can't. I know how proud you are of Lake because of the amount of pride that I have in her.

Thank you for allowing her to chase her dreams. As parents that may be one of the best gifts, we can afford to give our children.

I read this the other day and thought of yall. She loved to fly and fly she will!

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return."
Leonardo da Vinci

Love yall so much.

Okay, have a little story for you! You know I’m not a big fan of the color pink BUT I seriously haven’t been able to stop thinking about y’all and I had a big meeting today decided today was the day I was going to wear the one pink article of clothing I own. 🙂 It’s a skirt I got from loft freshman year and only wear it to pink out games! haha Well, when I got off work I treated myself to a blowout at a local hair salon - as I’m leaving a lady looks at me and is like omg I love your skirt and she’s wearing the same exact one!!!!!! It hasn’t been sold in like 4 years and she had it on. I told her about Lake and when I finished with what I had to say I said: “Ya know I just don’t believe in coincidences.”
She just looked at me and was like what do you mean? I said I think the Lord used you and your skirt to make me smile. She said she wasn’t sure about the whole religion thing but had been looking for a sign and asked me for some recommendations for a church to attend Sunday! She said that was the push she needed to try and rekindle her relationship with the Lord. It made me smile so big this afternoon!

One thing I will always remember about Lake is her constant breaking of the uniform regulations. She liked to accessorize, usually with pink. Whether it was her pink bedazzled headband or a pink undershirt, I can’t count the number of times I got on to her about being out of regs. But she’d always continue to try to sneak a bit of her favorite color in. So tomorrow, it seems fitting that we will intentionally break uniform regs in her memory and wear a small pink ribbon above our ribbon racks.

Lake had been giving me a ride to school all year. One night a bunch of guys staying at my house decided to roll Lakes house. I didn’t participate but Lake asked me if I knew anything about it. I wouldn’t rat out my friends, so I said no. The next morning she texted me and said since you can’t protect my house from being rolled you can’t ride with me anymore! Get a ride with your buddy Cade!

I will never forget the time that Lake got stuck in the washing machine during hide and go seek! We couldn’t find her until she started shouting for help! It took about an hour to get her out! One of my favorite memories with Lake was when we broke the spare tire in the drivers ed! The next day, they had to come saw the tire out of the car!

Whenever Lake would say, “I called it from day one! Mark my words.” The time that she was trying to find a quiz and asked me to be a lookout for her and if I saw someone coming just yell “Young Moolah Baby!” The time I jumped right onto her head in the pit at the gym and I thought I gave her a concussion. Anytime she would say “Let’s do something crazy” you knew something was about to go down. Any time we went rolling with her was automatically one of the best nights ever.

When I think of my favorite memory with Lake, I think back to a day in Belize on the island of Caye Caulker. The year previously my sister was there, and our friend and we got massages and strawberry daiquiris. This year, Lake and I decided we would keep the tradition and we went and got strawberry daiquiris and I remember I bought Lakes for her since it was her first drink as an 18-year-old/her first drink legally. We had said we would have to come back next year, but this time I’d be the senior and she’d celebrate with me. I remember sitting there with her talking about life and everything. We ran around the island and explored and got massages and had the best time ever. That is my favorite day with Lake Little and one I’ll never forget.

When Lake took me to my first state football game, and we tailgated at her tailgate and left the game early for some Chick-fil-a and she showed me all around campus. My 18th when Lake and Caden were bound to make it amazing the night before we had a sleepover and hot tubbed at Caden’s. We stayed up super late looking at stars and talking. The next day they surprised me with birthday breakfast. When Becca and I slept over at Lake’s and we made cookies, they practiced DYW routines, and we watched The Great Gatsby. One of the first times I talked with she told me “You should feel naked without lipstick” so I started wearing lipstick for her! Haha! All the times I rode with Lake in the car and we sang Fergalicious. I sat right next to Lake in AP Gov she would say “Good morning Sugar” and we’d catch up on life. Lake and I always talked about politics and each conversation would almost always end with “Fake News” and we’d both laugh.

Once in Belize we went snorkeling at a barrier reef and then went to another area to swim with the sharks. Lake was the first one to jump in the water with them. She kept trying to get me to jump in, but I told her “I’m good right here. I’ll just tell everyone the story.” She was so brave and fearless. I so admired that about her.

The time she danced on Coach Wright’s desk. The time she tried to hide in the foam pit and scare Mary, but Mary ended up jumping right on her. All of the times Mr. David would go roll around in the mud. All of the golf cart rides through the country club. Lake got so mad that I woke her up on accident that she tried to run away from my house and walk home. When she would try to play Chinese Red-light in Becca Moore’s car. Every sleepover she would say “I wanna do something crazy.”

One story of Lake is hard to pick out. There are so many that could express her personality. But I will never forget this one (along with others). On my sixteenth birthday, some friends, my mom and I took a trip to the reservoir to spend the day tubing. Lake loved it. She tried all of the tricks as she shouted with her hands in the air. When she got on the boat, my uncle taught her how to drive the boat. She was pumped. She was fearless. Lake said she checked something off her bucket list that day, and I am proud to say I watched her face when it happened. Another story is when we were little, Lake loved to watch movies when we spent the night together. We did not exactly have the same tastes in genres. I always love a good movie that makes you smile at the end. Lake, on the other hand loved scary movies. So, being so strong willed, we watched a scary movie. I hated it, but she loved laughing at me the whole time. But she said she was proud of me for watching it, so we made her famous giant cookies.

Soccer Coach

My very first interaction with Lake came a week into preseason and she had just gotten back from a leadership thing. We were halfway through our 3-hour preseason practices and she looked at me and says “Why in the world are we practicing three hour hours” with as much sass as she could have. I responded by pointing out between warm ups, regulation time, extra time, and even penalties that tends to be three total hours in game time. She did not agree with me and said some things under her breath I have long forgotten now. But I remember after that I was hoping she would quit, imagining she was going to be a pain in my side all season. Boy I was wrong. It didn’t take long for Lake to become my favorite player I have coached. I realized she was simply just was outgoing and not afraid to speak her mind. My assistant and myself always looked forward to what she had to say. She could always put a smile on anyone’s face. She quickly became someone who I knew would make a huge impact not only at her school but wherever she went. I have yet to coach someone I enjoyed being around as much as Lake Little.

Lake’s Teacher

Lake was in 9th grade, she bounced into my classroom with a smile and a wave, selected her seat on the row next to the wall, and looked up at me with an eager smile ready to learn about Mythology. And that’s when she made her mark on me.

The next year she brought her spark into my 10th grade English Honors class. Her energy and enthusiasm – just sheer joy – swept us all away.

During tennis seasons at SA, she would typically fly into my room to get a rubber band for her ponytail before practice. With that…came a smile, a big hug, a few words – “I just love you, Mrs. Parrish” – and a wave of her hand as she rushed off to practice.

I love her.

For five years now, I’ve always requested Lake be in the room when I was chaperoning for youth trips. She was always the best sleeper, but most of all leader and that’s a wonderful combination to find in a teen. As an adult leader, I could count on Lake to want to go to bed on time, sleep, and not talk much through the night, and make sure others did the same. One youth retreat, I said “Lake don’t you think it’s time for bed?” She said, “Yep gotcha,” and walked to the door and cut the lights out. One girl tried to start talking and Lake just said “Nope,” and all was quiet. I could always count on her to lead, sleep, and make the time together a blast! Others have wondered how she always ended up in a room or cabin with me and thought it was just happenstance, but no. Selfishly, I always wanted to get to hang with her because she was just so much fun and wise beyond her years. I’m going to miss braiding that thick beautiful head of hair each day on trips, but I’m so thankful for all the fun times that I did get to.

What a JOY lake was to me and my family! She is one that cannot be forgotten. The fun memories I have of her are those of laughter that will last a lifetime!! There are so many precious memories of her but the one that stands out the most…..busting in on the preacher late on a Saturday night (while he’s in bed) and says, “What’s up Mr. Chip!!” All we could do was laugh even though he had to wake up early the next day to preach. (Only Lake could get away with this) Love her so!!

The last piece of advice Lake gave me was, “Don’t do anything that you don’t want to do, but everything that you want to do.” Lake lived by that and has inspired me to do the same.

I am so very sorry about the tragic death of Lake. While I did not have a close relationship with her. I have certainly enjoyed watching her grow up alongside Jacob over the years. She was a sweet soul, wise beyond her years from what I have heard and read over the past few days! I cannot even begin to know how you guys are feeling. What I do know is that we serve an awesome God who will see you thru the dark days ahead! My prayer is that you will lean on him and that he will wrap his loving arms around you and hold you when you can’t go on alone! Lake will never be forgotten, and her light will shine because the precious Class of 2019 will not let it go out! Hold on to knowing you will see her again one day in our forever home! My love, hugs, and prayers go out to you and your families in the days, weeks, and months to come.

I’ll never forget the time Mr. David and Mrs. Pattie dragged Lake and me to the Bentonia Blues Festival. I remember being how and having ten million bug bites, while being covered in mud and baby oil. I was probably in the most discomfort I have ever felt, but Lake and I sure had a good time. We laughed about that forever.

To know Lake was to love her. She always made everyone feel beautiful and loved. Her endless kindness and genuine personality are one of a kind, and I am so thankful God allowed me to know her. I hope that one day I can carry myself with half as much confidence and positivity as she did every day.

Mrs. Pattie, Lake, Mrs. Donna, and I almost missed our train in Italy, and we were running like mad women to make it on time. We were throwing our luggage onto the train as it was moving. I’ve never laughed so hard.

My favorite memory of Lake is whenever I didn’t make cheer my sophomore year and she gave me the advice to not worry about it and live life, then try again. She was so caring and giving. It was an honor to know her and call her my friend.

Crown Club of Junior Auxiliary Chair 2018-2019

When we asked Lake to be Princess Aurora for our Crown Club tea party, she immediately said yes! She was so excited about doing it. She was responsible for keeping up with her dress and accessories, and dependable when it came time for meetings and prep. She was the first princess to walk into the room that day, and everyone went wild- moms and daughters both. Her reaction was priceless. She was perfect for that role!! She hugged, smiled, posed, and danced with every little girl until they all left. We will forever be thankful for her, and so proud that she was a part of Crown Club.

Lake was always there for me to talk when I needed her. I can remember one specific practice that we talked about so many things. I told her about the things that were going on in my life at the time and she gave me some of the best advice I received. She was also one of the funniest people I’ve come to know. I am so blessed to have been able to play soccer with Lake for four years. Over the past four years can remember her walking up and down the aisle of the bus, for away games, singing “Fergalicious” a number of times. She had a beautiful heart and opened it up to anyone she met. I hope to one day be half as kind of a person as she was. She led a life of faith, courage, and bravery. I am so thankful I got to know, love, and talk to her. I loved Lake Little so much.

One of my all-time favorite memories of Lake was how she would always make sure she was getting a tan at soccer practice. I can still picture her looking smiling and looking up at the sky to this day. I loved that girl like no other!

Lisa and I had just moved to the neighborhood. Our neighbors were building their house and had a he dumpster in the yard. I could see the dumpster from our front window. One day I saw two little boys and a precious little blonde haired girl climbs into the dumpster looking for treasures to build a fort. After a while the two boys climbed out, but we didn’t see this little girl. I told Lisa that we needed to go rescue her. This was the first time we met Lake would have been around 6 or 7 years old. We watched her grow up to become a beautiful young lady that everyone admired.

One of my favorite Lake memories is when she was telling Neil that he better always listen to me (his wife), and to get her point across she reached to his chest and grabbed both of his nipples and twisted as hard as she could. He about fell out not believing what she had done, I gave her the biggest hug because it was AWESOME, and she just laughed and laughed as only she could do. I thought, “Only Lake.” She sure knew how to get her point across.

Tol, Sheila, Christopher, Cole, Jack, & Bhett

Our hearts are breaking for you and with you. May God hold you and keep you in the upcoming days and months. We will continue to send prayers up for you and love your way in as many ways possible. Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10

I’ll always remember how we joked that once she had her pilot’s license Lake would fly me anywhere in the world as long as I paid for the gas. I loved that she shared a passion for adventure.

Every day when Lake would see me in the hallway, she would always say “hello beautiful” with a smile on her face and give me a tight hug. Her radiant smile and loving hugs never failed to brighten my day. All my thoughts and prayers are with you guys during this difficult time.

Scott, Susan, Hayden, Christa, & AJ

The trumpets resound and joy abounds above at your arrival Lake! We will miss you but take comfort in knowing you are in His arms, and the celebrations in Heaven far outweigh our tears! Our love and prayers for the Little Family.

The first time I ever saw Lake I was building an outdoor fireplace for your family, She must have been around five or six years old. As I was leaving for the day, I came around the side of the house where she had been playing, quite professionally I must say, in the mud. She was covered from head to toe. I will never forget the expression on Lake’s face as Pattie was rinsing her off with a water hose. She saw me smiling and looked back at me as if to say, “Yes, this is what I do and I enjoy every minute of it!” Love and Prayers.

This past spring in Belize Lake and I slept on the floor next to one and other on the air mattresses. The first morning I woke up Lake was laying on the ground because her air mattress had gone flat. Later that day we aired it up again and then went to bed. The next morning, she was back on the ground. It was flat again and we thought surely it had a hole in it, so we were told that one of the Belizean men could find and seal a hole in the mattress like no other. We took it to him. He worked and worked trying to locate the hole in the mattress, and then realized what the problem was. Lake and I had never tightened the valve that allows you to pump the mattress up!!! He just looked at us like, “You crazy white women.” We didn’t tell anyone in the group what the real probable was. We kept it to ourselves.

When I first transferred to Starkville Academy I was immediately greeted with Lake’s sweet smile and big hug. She made me feel so welcomed and loved when I was scared.

Shank, Mitz, & Claire

We love y’all so much and are always here no matter what! Lake was so special to us in so many ways. We will always love her and the Little’s. Forever greatful for all the memories she gave us! Fly High Lake Little!

I remember the elegance and grace of her being Princess Aurora. Absolutely stunning. So good with kids. She will definitely be missed.

Our words are not adequate to express the sorry we feel for your loss. Lake was an inspiration to everyone around her. We were so blessed and lucky to have known her beauty and we will keep her spirit alive.

Lake would always tell me that once I am accepted into Notre Dame, she will fly her FedEx plane to South Bend and come visit me.

Believe it or not when we were kids Lake was a little tomboyish. We use to play baseball together at the baseball fields while our older brothers played for the city league. What I would give to have those moments back.

Kevin, Becky, Aubrey Claire, and Grayson

What an amazing girl! What an amazing smile! What a force! We loved her and miss her!

Most of the sand in the mortar holding the bricks in my house has been touched by Lake. She was a constant figure in my sand pile while building our house. Just her playing, perfectly content.

One of my favorite memories of Lake was when I first moved to Mississippi and we hid in her mom’s closet. We were having so much fun we didn’t want me to go home.

Her favorite quote was “I’m a Queen,” and she was. Love easy Lake. Rest easy Queen.

Lake giving me that “Good morning” every day before class.

I am going to miss your sweet smile and big hugs so much!! Thank you for being you! Love you sweet girl!

I will never forget the laughs shared and memories made of the Fergalicious raps before every soccer game!!!! She had a way to captivate the attention of anyone around her. I love her dearly.

Lake was a bright, bouncing, bubbly, and beautiful young woman. She definitely lit up a room and had a contagious personality.

THE DAY MY WORLD STOOD STILL

6 July 2019

Hard to believe it has been four calendar months or seventeen and a half weeks today without daddy’s baby girl. The baby of three. Our little caboose. The sixth day of the month will never be the same. Saturday afternoons will never be the same as well as many other special dates and holidays. Yes, it is hard. Not going to sugar coat it. Read further if you feel led to, but warning it is a long read, but from my heart.

About a week prior to 6 July, I was getting ready for work one morning and paused to talk with Pattie about something on my mind. An ominous feeling for some reason. I said, you know, Layton has just graduated college and going to grad school overseas and has job lined up next fall. Patton has been healthy and able to run track this year (so far) and he is graduating a semester early in December and looking at graduate schools. Lake had just finished high school with many accolades and scholarships and preparing to head to college soon. They all three had been relatively good kids and easy teenagers to raise. Not perfect, but they were certainly not difficult kids.

We were about to become official empty nesters. I said to Pattie “..we have been blessed with some really good kids!” Next, I told her with some hesitance, I felt that we were about to be tested. “God is about to test us!” Something bad was about to happen. I had no idea what at that moment. An illness, accident, heart attack nor to whom in the family, but something was coming. A couple of days after Lake’s accident, I felt compelled to call and speak with our recently former pastor Chip Stevens about this premonition of sorts. He told me that he felt this was God preparing me and us for what was coming. Indeed He was...

Fortunately, for our family, we had all been under the same roof for the last couple of months of Lake’s life following Layton’s college graduation from MSU and Patton being home every other week for the summer during his nursing externship in Jackson. God’s hand was certainly in this by allowing us and our kids to enjoy some quality time together prior to what was to come. Just another stitch in His master plan.

Lake carried a planning calendar and it stayed full of various activities and commitments. In May, Lake had to turn down a scholarship opportunity to spend the summer flying at Purdue via the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) due to prior commitments; however, the CAP was gracious and had allowed her to fly a lot over the past several weeks having received a flying scholarship for several flight hours in lieu of Purdue.

The night before Lake had flown all around over Lowndes/Noxubee County. I had been following her on the Life360 app that evening. When she came in, I asked her how it went. She said, “..it was great and I JUST LOVE IT!” She sat down in my lap as she did many times and let me hold her and talked about her flying passion among other things. She was never too big for daddy’s lap!

The day Lake went Home. 6 July began as just a normal Saturday morning around the Little house. It was about 8:15am and I had been on my usual early Saturday morning walk on campus and I was driving back home. As I was about to turn into our neighborhood, I saw Lake driving out toward me. I flashed my headlights at her, we both waved, and she continued down the road. I started to call her to see where she was heading, as she was never an early morning person, particularly on Saturday. I resisted the desire to call, as I did not want to distract her while driving. I hate I missed seeing her personally that morning!

Once at home, I asked Pattie where Lake was heading so early and she said to the airport to work on her flight plan and later flying to Oxford for another solo cross-country flight. Pattie had packed her a lunch. Lake had recently flown several solo flights including as far away as Hattiesburg and Gulfport the Wednesday prior. I was honestly more nervous for her to drive her car to Hattiesburg than fly the plane. She was scheduled to take her check-ride in Hattiesburg on 10 July when she was to have been certified as a licensed pilot.

We all went on about our normal Saturday. I texted her late that morning asking why she was still at GTR and she responded, “Working on flight plan.” She was required to do this manually. Pattie and I went shopping for some dorm items for Lake’s dorm room. I saw that the weather was about to be stormy here in Starkville and texted Lake mentioning that she may not need to fly today. She did not respond and appeared to be on the runway at that time according to Life360. I later saw that she went up north toward West Point and around the weather cell and into clear weather toward Oxford. Lake was a step ahead of me and aware of the afternoon rain shower.

We had plans to have a family steak dinner that evening upon Lake’s return. Without a doubt in my mind, God put us all together in our den on that fateful Saturday afternoon. He knew what was coming! He knew all along. Psalm 139:16 “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Yet another stitch.

Pattie, Layton, Patton and I were all just visiting in the den. That is a rare occasion at their ages and busy schedules. We were talking about maybe going to watch a matinee movie while waiting on Lake to return home.

I had continued to follow her on Life360. I did not normally do that, but something compelled me to follow her that past two days while she was flying. I saw that Lake stopped moving at 3:10pm and continued to follow her. Pattie felt sick about then and she went to lie down for a little while. Mother’s intuition I suspect. I thought the Life360 app may have been stuck or not updating and was not a real concern at the time. It showed her to be in a neighborhood on Turnberry Court for a while. Subsequently the app updated to the Ole Miss golf course.

My gut told me something was not right. As time went on, I Googled the area and Pattie came back to the den and I mentioned it to her asking if Lake had plans to visit anyone while over in Oxford. We both thought this was odd, but neither of us were thinking a crash. That thought really never entered our minds, but it certainly must have subconsciously for me to be checking like I was.

Then the call! The call no parent wants to receive. Our family friend who is also a pilot and fellow CAP member, Trey Breckenridge was calling to let us know there had been a plane crash involving Lake. I stood up and the entire family stared listening intently knowing something bad had happened. Trey was on family vacation in New York and trying to provide any information he could pass along.

We immediately loaded up taking two vehicles, the boys in one and us in another as we were anticipating a lengthy hospital stay being optimistic at that time. We did not know exactly where we were heading as the news was still evolving. We knew she was being airlifted to a trauma care hospital. First, we were told UMMC-Jackson, next it was either Oxford or Region One Medical Center in Memphis. We just headed north toward Memphis. I KNEW IT WAS BAD. Just from my line of work, I know what a trauma airlift means and The Med as well. Lake and I had talked of how unforgiving airplanes are and she recognized the dangers involved. She had always been fearless! Even saying, “..when it’s my time, it’s my time!”

I made a couple of quick calls and specifically recall making one to friend Tom Roberson of the Starkville PD telling him what had happened and asking him to contact MHP for my drive toward Memphis. I later learned that Lake’s SA classmates began to gather at his home for a prayer vigil. I was praying silently as we drove away trying to be strong and maintain composure. Pattie was on the back seat frantically calling family and prayer warriors from our Sunday School class and texting some others. I had texted my brothers on the way out of the driveway in a group text. We drove as fast as we could over the next two hours. My phone was blowing up, but I could not talk and drive at 90mph+. Pattie continued to cry and pray aloud as we drove. About half way to Memphis, we learned from another call that the crash involved a fire. We had been getting very limited information; however, I heard the loss in the tone of Trey’s voice. In my heart, I knew what lie ahead. God was again preparing us. It all seemed so surreal.

When we attempted to enter the hospital, there was a security checkpoint for guns, etc. which delayed our entry. I emphatically told them who we were and what had happened and someone motioned us around to another checkpoint after asking “are y’all the Littles?’ I knew that was not a good sign either. They checked us in and said to wait there for the Chaplains to come escort us. I knew in my heart what was coming, but could not tell Pattie although I think she knew too. God was continuing to prepare us if you can be prepared. Pattie was asking was this protocol and why the Chaplains and not doctors?

Several family members and friends had arrived to the ER prior to us arriving. Layton and Patton had not yet arrived and we were waiting on them for a few minutes. The Chaplains were going to take us to a holding room with the friends and family, but I said NO! I knew the news that the doctors were about to come deliver and wanted just our immediate family to be in there for this news.

Fortunately, God’s plans are always perfect and He made sure that Lake’s Youth Minister Neil Tullos and his wife Amanda were there just as we received the news of Lake’s passing. Both of them had been a huge part of Lake’s life for the past five years. They had left a wedding in Oxford when they heard the news. The Tulloses were right where they were supposed to be! Another stitch woven into his perfect plan. We were all stunned, wailing and praying together. God was holding us up and He continued to do so in the days and weeks ahead.

Shortly thereafter, we joined our extended family and friends in another room and shared the sad news. It just did not seem real at all. It was like a bad dream! It was surreal and that feeling continued as the fog of grief rolled in as well. We all hugged and cried and prayed as more friends arrived. After an hour or so, I said, its late, we need to head back to Starkville to make plans.

Pattie’s sister April drove our now family of four back to Starkville. I had said we would talk about “plans” on the way home. I was wrong. It was the longest and quietest ride home in my entire life. The tragic news was now all over social media and news outlets. The reality was starting to sink in on that long ride home. We were all in shock. I am not sure we slept much if any that evening. The days and weeks ahead are all still a blur for me. Grief fog is very real!
One minute we are buying dorm furnishings and next we are picking out caskets. How could this be? Lake was so full of life and dreams. She had just graduated high school seven weeks prior. She had enlisted in the Mississippi Air National Guard just three weeks prior. She had received her first drill check today and never got to see it. She was to finish her pilot’s license in a few days. Lake was to represent Starkville in the state Miss Hospitality pageant in two weeks. She was start move into the dorm and start college in August.

This cannot be! Lake has too much on earth left to do God!! What about my dreams for her God? I wanted to see her fulfill her dreams! I wanted to see her graduate basic training, finish college, fly that C-17, fall in love and one-day walk her down the aisle, and have a family of her own, just to name a few. Kids are supposed to bury their parents! Not the other way around! God answered our prayers and He said no. This was not His plan. Lake’s work here on earth was complete. Selfishly, we never want to give up a child. If I could have traded places, I would have in a minute and still would. That is not possible.

What about me and mom and Layton and Patton left on earth to miss her with every part of our being? It is not just a passing thought. IT’S ALL THE TIME. From the moment I wake up, all during the day and then trying to go to sleep. Many sleepless nights. Many nights going to bed early hoping to sleep and not think about anything. Lake is in my every thought. Meltdowns are common, but mostly when I am alone. I’ve been somewhat distant with friends and family, but there are no rules or timelines for grieving. We all do it differently and it takes us where it takes us moment by moment for as long as it takes. Grief is a process and as someone who experienced this same type loss about 35 years ago told us, “..You can’t go over it or around it, you must go through it to come out the other side..: Mrs. Harper was right. We will get to the other side when its time.

We respond to the question of “how are you doing?” with “ok” or “hanging in there” knowing no one really wants to hear the truth. God has carried us and He continues to carry us each day. Yes, it has been four months now. I may get distracted for a bit, but it always comes back to Lake and missing her and sharing our love with her and receiving hers. In this short time, I have learned that you NEVER get over the loss of a child. That is not the natural order of things. It’s sad club that Pattie and I now belong too and no parent wants to join. I would not wish this on any parent. It is my hope that it may not be as “sharp” of a pain as time goes along, but the pain will never go away. I do know that much with certainty.

I had no idea that Friday night would be my last time to hold her, hear her sweet voice, her laugh and see her beautiful smile. Had I known, I would have held her a little longer and a little tighter. I will forever treasure this memory. Lake and I had such a wonderful father/daughter relationship. She was a true daddy’s girl without any doubt and she’d tell anyone! Lake shared my sense of humor and there were times we would just look at each other and laugh as if we could read each other’s mind. Fortunately, for her she looked like a younger version of her mother. She was so bubbly and she would light up any room she entered. People were drawn to her huge personality. She was a born leader and a doer. She loved her Lord and Savior and NEVER afraid to take a chance or fear of failure. She pushed herself and encouraged others to do the same. She wanted to do something BIG! She felt her older brothers had set the bar high and she did not want to disappoint and she did not! She wanted to leave a footprint on this earth and I truly believe that she did. She was my heart! She always will be. She was an old soul and at times wise beyond her years, particularly when it came to knowing her career path plans.

From the time she was a little girl and until she went Home, she would always draw on my hand “I and a heart shape U!” and then hold my hand and tell me always in my heart. Well, she definitely is in my heart for sure. It was as if she knew her time was limited, but I know she did not. I miss holding her hand while driving around. She ALWAYS held my hand while riding with me and listening to K-LOVE. She even held my hand crossing a parking lot last spring. How many teenagers would do that? Pattie and I both received a very nice card around her graduation time. The cards were so nice and we both cherish her thoughts shared with each of us.

Ms. Cheryl who works at the FBO at GTR Airport had gotten to know Lake over the past couple of years. Lake had encouraged her during her battle with cancer and was so happy when she returned to work. Ms. Cheryl had asked Lake why a pretty girl like her did not (never had) have a boyfriend. Ms. Cheryl shared with me Lake’s response to her during the visitation and it made me smile. She said, “I have not found anyone that treats me a good as my daddy!” I thought to myself, WOW!

The most important thing of all is that I know unequivocally that Elizabeth Lake Little was a child of God. She was saved and her name was written in the Book of Life. We found her testimony bullet point sheet last weekend. This is yet another treasure for us. Another God wink! Lake was not perfect as none of us are; however, I know that she is now with the only Father that loves her more than me and that is hard to imagine, but true. He loves us all that much. He sacrificed His only Son for each of us. Think about that. Its difficult to imagine that kind of love and grace as a parent because we are all so unworthy. With God’s help and the His Spirit’s guidance, I will continue to push forward everyday as Lake would want me to do. I will try to be a better person each day and to live like Lake and to always try to honor her memory.

While I may never know or understand this side of Heaven, why He called her Home at such a young age? We have His promise and I will see my precious Lake again one day. Her earthly work was done! Life truly is just a vapor! What is 18 years or 80 years when compared to eternity? Each day is one day closer too! Just like Lake told her good friend Smith while watching the sunset on 4 July (two days prior to going Home) on the river and commented on that she thought Heaven would look like that sunset and that she was not afraid.

Back in 2000, the doctors told Pattie and I that we were done having kids and we thought we would just have the two boys. We were ok with that as they were a handful at 15 months apart. Needless to say, the doctor was wrong. About three months later, we were informed that Pattie was expecting a baby. We later learned we were having a baby girl! I had always wanted a little girl and now our family would be complete. Lake was never ours to keep. He shared her with us! She was God’s gift and only loaned her to us for 18 ½ years to raise and love. We were blessed beyond measure to have shared our love with her and received her love. We have many great memories of her to cherish for many years to come.

I am far from perfect and falter all the time in this fallen world; however, I do know that the best gift a parent can give their children is to teach them about God and be sure that they know and love God and they are saved. There is no better gift or responsibility placed upon anyone! Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

The outpouring of love and support has been truly amazing and humbling! God is good all the time. I cannot thank our family and friends from all over, our church family, the Starkville community, co-workers, the military and many others from across the nation who have reached out for all of your prayers and encouragement over the past few months. It is truly appreciated by us all! There were some Angels on earth that really stepped up to help carry us. God Bless each one of you!

Everyone is dealing with “something,” trust me. We may not know what, but everyone is dealing with something difficult in their lives and we just may not be aware so be kind to everyone. And if they are not dealing with something at this moment, they will be at some point in their lives. We will all experience our hills and valleys, it’s how we respond that matters. Everyone will be tested.

We all have our plans. We like to “think” we are in control, but we are fooling ourselves. He is in complete and ultimate control of all and His plan is perfect! Each and every stitch is perfection. We just have to wait until all of His stitches have been woven together and one day we will see His completed Masterpiece! Now I look for those occasional God winks reminding me that He is taking great care of my baby girl. Her Father and our Father now has her.

This is not about a pity party, Lord knows I have had my share of those. But for Him, I would be curled up in a corner in a fetal position or in a hole hiding. But for God’s grace! I just felt led to share some of my bottled up thoughts with my family and friends. It has helped me just getting my thoughts together. Something that has been difficult over the past four months. I can hear Lake telling me “come on daddy, you can do it!” Just like when I would try to run with her.
Please never be afraid to mention her name to us or tell Lake stories. We love and want to hear them. It does not make us sad or remind us she is no longer with us. We will never forget that. It does help us in knowing that others have not forgotten her.

One blessing for Pattie and I is that we don’t have any regrets when it comes to Lake. She knew how much we loved her and we told her daily. We allowed her to follow her dream and she went Home doing what she loved so much, flying in the clouds!

ALWAYS IN MY HEART!
❤️🙏🏼✝️😇🕊🇺🇸✈️
#LiveLikeLake

I Thessalonians 4:16-18

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Listen to “Fearless” by Jasmine Murray. This was Lake to the tee!!
Also, “In Christ Alone” -Live Version by Passion. Helps to sustain me.

I had the honor of teaching Lake and she was a good friend to my daughter, Mary Beth.

I have loved hearing all of the stories about Lake. Of course, I laughed at all of them. She was truly one of a kind. I have to tell my favorite, “Lake” story. I had just bought my car. Lake went to the beach with us. It rained most of our trip. Of course, Lake still made us laugh. One the way home, we stopped in Buckatunna. Lake says, “Ms Woods, I need a snack!” I told her that was ok. Just don’t make a mess in my NEW car. She comes back to the car with a sack. I thought she had a NORMAL snack. As soon as we got back on the road I noticed an aroma. I asked Lake what she had. She had the largest container of funnel fries I’ve ever seen!! Complete with 6 inches of powdered sugar!! I told her if she messed up my new car I’d whip her butt!! After she finished she asked what she should do with the trash. I told her to put the container in the sack and put in the floorboard. Oh no!! She rolled down the window. Not to throw the trash out but to throw the sugar out. That dang sugar blew back into my BRAND NEW car!! It looked like I had a cloud of cocaine in my NEW car!! Of course, Lake was laughing!! I was MAD!! THEN she started licking the air!! Saying it tasted good!! After she knew I was mad she took her shirt off and started rubbing down the backseat. I told her that wasn’t doing any good!! She was just rubbing it in!! She came back with, “it smells good”! I’ll never forget that!! I’m honored that Lake christened my new car 💓

My son, Douglas, and Lake graduated from StarkvilleAcademy together.

Douglas drives a Chevy Silverado truck that is “jacked-up” and not easy to get in and out of. Lake drove Douglas’ truck home from Macon one night after a going away party for one of their friends. I was standing in the driveway when they pulled in (at a high rate of speed for a driveway atleast 🤣) and she yelled out the window “woo hoo” with a huge smile on her face! And then proceeds to tell me, “Mrs Shelly, I looooooove driving Douglas’ truck”!! I said, “Lake, you’re just a redneck beauty queen”! She agreed! Loved that girl so much! Always a smile on her face and and ready with a hug and an “I love you”. This family will miss her dearly!

I met Lake as one of her Young Life leaders while she was in high school and I was in college at State.

When I joined Young Life as a college leader and got assigned to Starkville Academy, I immediately had a connection to Lake because I was friends with her brother, Layton. One of the first things she told me was that she would be my favorite Little, she even made her contact in my phone to say “Lake Better Than Layton Little”. That is still her contact name to this day and it always makes me laugh!

One of my favorite memories of Lake and I together was when I snuck her out of school to go get ice cream/snowballs. I asked her if her mom would be mad and she goes “No, my mom does it sometimes too and we weren’t really doing anything in class!” I didn’t believe her then and I still don’t believe it now... she always had a way of sweet talking you into things ❤️ I’ll always strive to embody her sponaneity and joy of living in the moment!

I’ve known her almost my whole life because of #StarkvilleAcademy

Lake came and stayed with me last fall (fall of 2018) because she had plans to come to USM the following year. I was a little nervous at first because she was coming by herself and it was a game day weekend and I didn’t want her to feel left out or uncomfortable because she would be with me and my friends. Boy was I wrong, she came up in my dorm and didn’t skip a beat, you would’ve thought she had known all of my USM friends for her whole life. And of course, even on the first day that they met her, she was the life of the party. I know all of my USM friends were looking forward to her being there, and I know she was too! I’ll miss that spunk and life of the party attitude!

FBC Starkville Youth Group

What a absolute JOY it was to know Lake Little! I had the privilege to help with youth Sunday School throughout my college years at MSU, and that is where I grew to love Lake. I have so many moments and memories with Lake that I will cherish forever but one that just sticks out to me the most is one night at Super Summer 2018. We were goofing off as ALWAYS....anytime I was around Lake my goodness we had some FUN!! I loved that silly side of Lake. But what I loved the most, is what conversations with Lake always lead to. Lake had a heart for the Lord and truly was seeking Jesus. I remember her sitting down with me asking about how to be able to live out her faith in college. She shared with me that she wanted to grow closer to the Lord and impact people for Him in every stage of her life. That conversation sticks out to me so much because it embodies what I knew about Lake. Lake loved the Lord, and she wanted to make an impact on others. Although her time was shorter than we all would wish, I am thankful knowing that Lake had it figured out. She loved the Lord and people around her without fear of ANYTHING. Her bravery, boldness, and passion for the Lord and people was unlike anything I’ve EVER seen. I hope to live my days with as much love Lake had for the Lord and everything around her.

I met Lake when I subbed at SA for Sarah Woodward.

My favorite memory of Lake would have to be when I was trying to figure out if I was going to Belize in March 2019 for the mission trip with FBC. I recall being so up in the air about flying (because I had never flown before and here I was 39 years old), but Lake said...I got you girl, you’re going to be fine and we are going to have a great time serving others. She had the most infectious smile and personality! I love you Lake...until we meet again

Lake was my neighbor in Starkville!

Lake, Geraldine, Carla, and I all decided to build a fort in our neighborhood using the construction materials that the contractors were using to build houses! We ended up making a fort in about three different places. One of our forts was made from this long plastic black tube that we could sit inside. We felt so cool! We thought we were the queens of the neighborhood! We never let the boys come in because it was our territory! We even rode our bikes around making sure no one was touching our “masterpiece.” Those were the good days! Rest in paradise, Lake. I think about you every flight now that I have become a flight attendant! 💕💔😭

Family friends since I was in the 5th grade and she was in the 2nd

The last few times I saw Lake I noticed something: she never said goodbye without also saying, “I love you”. Even if we hadn’t seen each other in months, even if we hadn’t spoken in a while, even if we just spoke for a second and were headed separate ways, it was always, “Bye! I love you!” I’m so glad she was never afraid to share how she felt and wasn’t too scared to give her love openly, without terms or conditions. Because of the incredible kind of person she was, the last words we shared were, “Bye! I love you!”

Starkville Academy - 2nd grade teacher

I remember Lake as a spunky, happy little girl with long, beautiful blonde hair and a smile on her face. She was a little princess. I consider myself blessed to have taught Lake and to have watched her grow into a beautiful, accomplished young woman. I am also thankful that she never lost her spunk! I tell my students every year that once you are in my class you become one of mine. Lake will always be one of mine.

I met her when she came to our base to look into becoming a loadmaster.

I met Lake and her Dad David at The 172d AW at Thompson Field in Flowood Ms. She was still a junior in High School. I have interviewed many potential loadmaster and pilot candidates in my time as Chief Loadmaster. I am here to tell you she won me over completely. Rarely do you meet someone at her age so focused and motivated. I came away from our meeting knowing in my heart that here was an amazing young lady and it would be our loss if we didn’t recruit her. Fly on Lake, Fly on.

My beautiful precious niece

I love you so much Lake, you will never be forgotten. Aunt Faye