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Photo by Erin Nelson Starnes Media
Aniah Blanchard memorial
Hundreds gathered for the Celebration of Life ceremony for Aniah Blanchard held at Faith Chapel Christian Center on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019. Photo by Erin Nelson
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Photo by Erin Nelson Starnes Media
Aniah Blanchard memorial
Hundreds gathered for the Celebration of Life ceremony for Aniah Blanchard held at Faith Chapel Christian Center on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019. Photo by Erin Nelson
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Photo by Erin Nelson Starnes Media
Aniah Blanchard memorial
Hundreds gathered for the Celebration of Life ceremony for Aniah Blanchard held at Faith Chapel Christian Center on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019. Photo by Erin Nelson
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Photo by Erin Nelson Starnes Media
Aniah Blanchard memorial
Hundreds gathered for the Celebration of Life ceremony for Aniah Blanchard held at Faith Chapel Christian Center on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019. Photo by Erin Nelson
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Photo by Erin Nelson Starnes Media
Aniah Blanchard memorial
Chris Connelly, a family friend and UFC coach, speaks with the media about the Celebration of Life ceremony for Aniah Blanchard held at Faith Chapel Christian Center on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019. Photo by Erin Nelson
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Sam Chandler
Aniah Blanchard Celebration of Life
Those who attended Aniah Blanchard's Celebration of Life released baby blue balloons after the ceremony.
BIRMINGHAM —The rows of purple chairs inside the sanctuary at Faith Chapel Christian Center began to fill around 11 o’clock Saturday morning. As people found their seats, pictures of the teenager whose life they came to celebrate flashed across two large screens at the front of the room.
Photos showed Aniah Haley Blanchard, the 19-year-old Homewood High School graduate whose body was found in rural Macon County in November, at different ages and stages. There she was as a toddler, tween and teen, surrounded by friends and loved ones who will forever remember her fondly.
“She was the glue to our family,” her mother, Angela Harris, said. “She held us all together.”
Aniah continued to unite on Saturday, when hundreds congregated at Faith Chapel to reflect upon her life and legacy. Over the course of three hours, from noon to 3 p.m., those who knew her best paid their tribute and relayed some of their dearest memories.
They included Courtney Lewis, a close friend who thought of Aniah as a sister. Lewis said she will remember Aniah for her sense of urgency to maximize each day, willingness to sacrifice for others and “positive, eternal mindset.” Aniah, a Christian, was actively involved at Trinity United Methodist Church in Homewood and at Church of the Highlands.
“Aniah,” Lewis said, “is now our guardian angel.”
They included Bill Cleveland, Homewood City Schools superintendent, whose children grew up with Aniah and her siblings. He said she could light up a room and was a friend to all. Next year, he said, the Homewood school system will establish a scholarship in her honor.
“She always looked to serve for the greater good,” Cleveland said.
They included Tiffany Statum, Aniah’s softball coach at Homewood High. Statum called her former team captain an “impact player” who was able to make the best of every situation. At the end of her senior year, Aniah received the Patriot Award, which recognizes a player who exhibits exemplary character, leadership skills and passion, Statum said.
"Aniah was one of those student-athletes I wish I could have had on my team forever," she said.
Aniah had plans of following in Statum's footsteps, with hopes of one day becoming a teacher and softball coach. At Southern Union State Community College, where she matriculated after graduating from Homewood, she was studying education.
That Aniah will not get to fulfill that dream is a realization her father, Elijah Blanchard, said has shaken his family to the core. His wife, Yashiba, along with Aniah's mom and stepfather, Walt, communicated their deep sorrow as they crowded around the Faith Chapel pulpit.
They miss their daughter, whom Angela Harris described as “almost perfect,” and are determined to get her justice.
“I’m upset, I’m hurt, but I know God is working,” Elijah Blanchard said. “Aniah was God’s before she was mine, and I have to receive that and know God’s a jealous God, and I have to let her go and let her live through me for the rest of my life.”
Aniah will not fade from memory anytime soon. Homewood Mayor Scott McBrayer declared Dec. 21, 2019, as Aniah Haley Blanchard Day in his city. State Rep. Merika Coleman of Birmingham, who presided over the service, said other elected officials have approved honorary resolutions and will work to pass legislation aimed at enhancing the state’s ability to locate those who have been kidnapped.
Said Angela Harris: “I will not stop fighting for her.”
After a recessional, attendees filed out of Faith Chapel and into the cold afternoon air. Beyond the church doors, they released an army of balloons in Aniah's favorite color, baby blue. Raindrops fell as they floated upward into the overcast sky — toward the heavens and the girl they were made for.
