Funeral for Slain 5 Year Old Reminds Others to ‘Live Like Lizzy’

 LOGAN, Utah — “Live like Lizzy.” That was the message written on Lizzy Shelley’s casket as her loved ones and the Logan community said goodbye.

“If you’re out and about and you find yourself admiring nature around you,” Lizzy’s grandpa Norman Black said, “think of Lizzy.”​

There was no shortage of good memories of Lizzy in Logan on Tuesday. In her five years of life, Lizzy’s smile and personality captured the hearts of all who knew her, including her mom’s co-worker Maxine Salas.​

“Just laughing and bubbly. Just like any kid. Just happy,” Salas said. “She’s smiling and laughing in every single (picture of her).”

Salas has fond memories of Lizzy visiting her mom Jessica “Jess” Whipple at Walmart where she works.​

During the funeral service at Nyman Funeral home, Jessica described the heartache that came from Lizzy’s disappearance and death.

“I don’t think anybody really prepares for the loss of a child,” she said.

She thanked the community for the outpouring of love and support they have offered.

“You guys kept me going,” Jessica said. “It gave me so much strength.”

She remembered the good times with her daughter.

“I’m going to miss a lot about Lizzy so much… snuggling… taking her places,” she said.

“We love Jess,” Salas said. “It’s so sad to see her go through this. Nobody should have to go through this.”​

The heartbreak began on Saturday May 25th when Lizzy disappeared. Police found her body near her home on Wednesday, the same day her uncle Alex Whipple was charged with her murder.

“It’s just been really hard for us because it’s all taken place so close to our home,” neighbor Candida Jensen said.

The community quickly stepped up and showed what Logan is really about. Neighbors and strangers supported the search crews with donations, contributed money to Lizzy’s family, left stuffed animals, balloons and candles on their front porch and decorated the city with rainbow-colored ribbons.

“To watch her community come together has been nothing short of miraculous,” Esterlee Molyneux with The Family Center said.

“The support that she had is so awesome,” Salas said after the funeral. “But there’s no other way to describe it. It’s sad.”​

Since she first went missing, Lizzy’s impact has stretched far beyond her loved ones. Even in death, she has brought life to her community.

“Lizzy was a special young lady,” Black said on behalf of the family. “We’re going to miss her very much.”​