Help Cover Aaliyah's Funeral and Memorial Costs

Per the family's request, we're raising money for the Mixson family to cover the funeral and memorial costs for their sweet Aaliyah, who they lost suddenly on September 3rd.

Aaliyah was going to write a book one day, a tell all about all the hardships she overcame. Instead, we will do our best to tell her story through her obituary.

Aaliyah Rose was born on October 18, 2009. People who loved her very much included her Grandma, her older sister, Lizzie, her younger siblings: Lexi, Chris, and Giovanni, and her nephew, Isaac.

We take peace in knowing that she is reunited with her Grandma, who Aaliyah missed and loved very much.

Aaliyah found her home and family with Kyrie Mixson in Newman and began on a journey of healing from how the world had betrayed her over and over again. Aaliyah was supported and loved by so many and often called herself an Allen-Mixson. Kyrie, Chris, Sean, Tarne, Katrina, Nick, Kylie, Lane, Kamryn, Irvin, Grandma Dee, Grandpa Steve, Scott, Lisa, Seth, Lyndi, Misty, Patrick, Brady, Madison, Ino, Ina, Daniel, Crystal, Kya, and Wes were beyond proud to call her family.

It was a privilege to all who knew and loved her to watch our Aaliyah Rose bloom. Coming to Kyrie’s home after far too long in the broken foster care system, Aaliyah slowly but surely learned to love and to trust and receive the love of others, and to see the value, the beauty, and the potential in herself that we always saw. Her family, friends, and teachers celebrated as she made the honor roll, was inducted into the Junior Beta Club, elected to Student Council, and played volleyball.

It is impossible to overstate the magnitude of the challenges Aaliyah faced, but face them she did, and her progress was amazing. She did not always make great choices, but she increasingly made far more good choices than poor ones. We were, and continue to be, immeasurably proud of her. Her future was as bright as her radiant smile, and she looked forward to taking drivers ed and getting her permit, meeting her twin cousins who are expected to be born later this month, and being in Kylie and Lane’s wedding. Our hearts are broken that we will not get to see all that life could have been for her but take comfort in knowing that Aaliyah knew she was deeply loved. For all of the ways that our love changed her life, she changed ours even more, and we will never be the same for having shared the last three years with her. It was not nearly long enough.