Outtakes
Tessa’s song Fly High
Tessa soccer highlights
Safari Park
Tessa’s funeral
Melissa Bare
133w
1 Year
Visiting you today, your friends sitting around your grave talking, seemed surreal. Thank you for continuing to wrap us all in your arms to get us through. Love you always.
In loving memory
Tessa Caroline Sutton
March 20, 2006 – March 24, 2023
Lived 17 years
Chillicothe Cemetery · Chillicothe, IL
Life story
Tessa was born in Peoria, IL on March 20, 2006. She was the youngest of 5 and the only biological child of Rich & Michelle. She was loved beyond measure and brought so much happiness to her family.
She was a talented and competitive athlete her whole life with soccer being her main sport. She had a sassy personality at times but was a true empathic soul at heart. She cared deeply about those she loved and was a loyal friend. She loved sports, music, art and animals. She adored being an aunt.
She was diagnosed with an aggressive form of sarcoma in her chest wall during her freshman year of high school. She endured nearly two years of treatment before passing just four days after turning 17. Her spirit is kept alive through the foundation that bears her name. She was loved by many and will never be forgotten.
Photos
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Videos
Lifetime
The world Tessa knew
Family milestones in gold, history for context
2006
Born March 20
2007
Tessa was 1 when the first iPhone went on sale
2009
Tessa was 3 when Michael Jackson died
2014
Tessa was 8 when the Ice Bucket Challenge went viral
2015
Tessa was 9 when "Hamilton" opened on Broadway
2016
Tessa was 10 when the Cubs won their first World Series since 1908
2019
Tessa was 13 when the Disney+ streaming service launched
2020
Graduated 8th Grade Middle School Dunlap Valley Middle School
2020
Became an Aunt
2022
Adopted Luca
2022
First flight New York City
2023
Make A Wish trip Orlando, FL
2023
Passed away March 24, age 17
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