Katelyn Nicole Deville

Katelyn Nicole Deville was born Sunday November 4, 2001 at 9:12 pm to her parents Kyle and Chasity Deville. After a lengthy stay in the hospital, Katelyn came home from the hospital on Easter Sunday, March 31, 2002 as a gift from God. This sweet baby left this world at 7:11 pm on Friday, August 31, 2018. After a week-long illness in the hospital, Katelyn left the same way she entered, surrounded with the love of her wonderful parents. Not only did Kyle and Chasity lose their angel, their two younger children lost their beautiful big sister.

She is preceded in death by her Popa Mike Lachney, Maw-maw Sylvia Lachney, and Uncle Jeff Driggers.

Katelyn is survived by her parents Kyle and Chasity Deville, her Sissy Brooklyn, her Bubba John Luke, her Papaw Steve Deville, her Nana Linda Deville, her Mamaw Mary Solomon, her Tata Tammie McDaniel, her Tutu Toni Childress (& Bubba), her aunt Shelly Lachney, her aunt Jetty Lachney, her Godparents Jack and Jackie Brown, her Mrs. Tuwanna Carter, and numerous cousins, relatives, and loved ones.

Katelyn lived a life that most rarely get to live. She lived it with strength, with a fighting spirit, and most importantly, love. Her body was besieged by illness for her entire life. She was born prematurely and weighed one pound, 2.6 ounces. Along with an early entrance into the world, her first five months of life included terms such as bilateral hydrocephalus, bacterial meningitis, retinopathy of prematurity and RSV. Many would have thrown in the towel at this point, however, God had given Kyle and Chasity an angel who was a strong fighter.  Several times in the next several years, Kyle and Chasity had to rush Katelyn to Jackson Children’s Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi. Each time they were reminded that Katelyn’s spirit was defiant in the face of adversity. She loved her mommy and daddy too much to succumb to illness. She decided she was going to stay with them. They are thankful that this little warrior princess made this decision. The bedside stories that daddy read in the NICU about the Biblical hero Daniel made an impact.

As Katelyn grew, her parents, relatives, and friends learned something new, her smile and her heart were bigger than life. Katelyn had a smile that was infectious. It was impossible to be near her and not feel joy. Though her body wouldn’t allow her to do the things most of us take for granted, she was larger than life with her loving heart. Everyone who knew her could not help but fall in love with her.

Katelyn’s life echo the words of St. Paul-I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day (II Timothy 4:7-8)

Fly high my angel.   You are loved more than you can imagine.