Kaya Lynne Matzen Anderson
April 3, 2010 - November 3, 2021
There are few in the world with a personality as big as Kaya’s. She walked through the world drawing everybody to her; sometimes without a word and other times with her big, loud voice. Sometimes she’d just draw us to her by climbing straight on us. She wouldn’t tolerate for a second people around her not feeling included. She loved or hated everything, her oversized spirit would allow no in between. She wanted to become a veterinarian, a rescue farmer, a voice-over anime actor, study abroad in Japan, become an MMA fighter, become a professional cosplayer, and become taller than her big sister. She was also trying to convince her mom and dad to finally adopt a tortoise, a pig, a chicken, a snake, and a cat to add to the dogs, guinea pigs, and chinchillas. In her mind, in her home, all animals could live in harmony because she would teach them to. She fiercely loved and defended her friends. It is hard to believe that someone as young as 11 years old could leave behind a lifetime of memories, but she really has. We are just heartbroken that she didn’t live longer to make more.
Kaya leaves behind her big sister Corinne, her mother Katherine, her father Nathan, a huge extended family, countless friends, and all her animals (Polar, Fuji, Michael, Jackson, Jonathan, Bindi, and Tinkerbell). As we all go into a future without her beside us, she would have wanted us to make sure to include and love each other, and, when there is space in the home and the heart, adopt an animal in need. This is how we can keep her memory alive.
Kaya's memorial service will be by invitation only.
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Alternatively, a donation to any animal rescue or shelter.
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