A Woodstock family whose 8-year-old daughter died earlier this month said she left behind a special list in her room that is helping them to keep living.
Ellie Pruitt, who was a second grader at Carmel Elementary School, died Feb. 6 from a collection of autoimmune diseases, Channel 2 Action News reported.
“We were lucky to have her for those eight years,” Ellie’s mother, Heather Pruitt, said.
In the days after the loss of their daughter, Chuck and Heather Pruitt found a piece of paper in her room. The sheet concisely outlined four rules the girl had lived by. She had titled it “My Room Rules,” Channel 2 reported.
“It’s amazing that an 8-year-old little girl knew what we should focus on,” Heather Pruitt said.
The first of Ellie’s rule was simply to have fun. Rules two and three were “no fighting” and “no pushing, shoving or hitting.”
The last of the rules read: Always love.
“She started No. 5,” Pruitt said, “but erased it, because she knew that’s the greatest. That’s it. If you can do all those things, you’re going to be in good shape.”
The Pruitts shared the list with Ellie’s second grade class, hoping it would help her classmates deal with the loss of their friend.
“I love her rules,” classmate Lucy Preston told Channel 2. “They all go together and she chose some good rules.”
The Woodstock community has also embraced Ellie’s rules. Local businesses displayed rules one and four on signs outside their buildings.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Heather Pruitt said her daughter had a way of loving everyone around her and “being a friend to everyone,” Channel 2 reported.
“I think Ellie’s mission on Earth was to make sure everyone had a best friend,” she said. “Everybody said ‘you raised her so well,’ and I’m like, she was easy to raise. She was amazing.”
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