The very first time I read about what happened to Ava Claire Hageman from Mt. Pleasant, Texas, I felt heaviness in my heart. Ava Claire was a seventh grader at Mt. Pleasant Junior High, a member of the National Junior Honor Society, and a runner in cross country. Many people in town are visiting and joining hands for her family, especially her parents, Jennifer and Jonathan, who are currently going through something no parent ever wishes to face.
People who knew Ava Claire said she was the kind of girl who made others feel at home. She has a calm, bright way of being around people, something classmates and neighbors noticed often. I have never met her, but reading things shared online has made me feel what she really meant to many people.
This funeral will take place on Thursday, the 11th, at two o’clock in the afternoon at First Baptist Church in Mt. Pleasant. Lots of people are expected to be there, as she touched so many lives.
They have also established a GiveButter memorial fund in Ava Claire’s name. The plan is to help revitalize Dellwood Park and create a community pool so kids and families have a place to hang out and feel joy. Anyone wanting to help can go to the GiveButter page to find her name.
Community Shares Love And Prayers For Ava Claire
Ava Claire was a shining star in school and was active in many activities in the junior high gym. This place meant so much to her because it was where she spent most of her time with her friends. She is one year ahead of her sibling, Holland, who is also studying in CHJH. Jennifer McCauley Hageman, her mother, has shared these things since it is something that people should remember about her- how hard-working and dedicated she was at her age.
Mount Pleasant is full of people posting online about Ava Claire and offering prayers for her. Such outreach revealed how deeply she was connected with the others out there. Very real and moving messages, instead of unbelievably capturing how shocked people are.
One of the things Janet and Kevin Davis have said is that her son came home and told her the news, and she felt sad and sent prayers to the family. That itself made me think about how fast news travels in school and how such things hit everybody hard, and how it makes her parents feel so miserable.
A message like this came from LeeAnn Sears, who said she loved the family very much and was keeping them in her prayers, more messages like those kept flowing from all around.
A guy named Jeff L Clark posted a Bible chapter and sent hot love and prayers for the family during this challenging period. I guess these days everyone seems to turn to faith for comfort.
Beverley Young Nelson said she was heartbroken upon hearing the news of Ava Claire’s death, but she held the family in her prayers. The words were very intimate, as if she really cared.
More messages came from friends conveying simple yet powerful prayers, hugs, and thoughts for the family. These little messages were still packed full of emotions. Wynndy Skeins and Mindy Brown Barrow are just a couple of people who came forward and shared their support. Lauren Gentry said the family has been on her mind and that she is praying for peace in their home.
Another voice that cried out was Keli Roberts, who said her heart broke for the child and family and that she sent prayers to them.
A little later, the family released a little message to the world. It read: “Thanks for all your love and prayers”. The family further indicated that they would miss Clairee very much. That, too, you would say, was an indication of what she meant to them.
The memorial fund for Ava Claire is intended to create a place where families can enjoy time together. It is something everyone can hold in their hearts, remembering her kindness and the joy she brought to friends.
All of this reading about her made me think just how quickly life can change. It even reminded me, while writing this, of things from my own school life, such as the time our student population lost a student once, and how the entire building was silent for days. People stuck together more during that time, just like the community in Mt. Pleasant is doing now. You may also be interested in: 16-Year-Old Ohio Athlete Groomed and Abused by Her 32-Year-Old Female Softball Coach – She Finally Got Justice 10 Years Later
