Aurelia Reis Gwaltney, Indianapolis, age 5, passed peacefully at home and surrounded by love Tuesday, June 26, 2018. She was born February 25, 2013. Aurelia was a ray of sunshine and fittingly loved the color yellow.
Aurelia never met a flower that didn’t need picked and never saw a dandelion that didn’t need kicked. Princesses are all real; as are unicorns. Magic isn’t a surprise, it is expected on a daily basis. Movies should never be watched any fewer than fifteen times and anytime a song played it meant time to stand up and DANCE. Books are to be devoured and memorized. And when playing hide and go seek—never hide for more than twenty seconds.
Aurelia loved her home and made the world her playground. Everywhere she went became a special, magical place. Opti Park, Tarkington Park, and her neighborhood Pocket Park may have been typical outdoor spaces to anyone else, but for Aurelia they became The Giraffe Park, The Hill Park, and The Bridge Park—and were worlds of their own.
Aurelia attended Butler University Lab School #60 and loved that she was a ‘walker’ and found joy walking to and from school with her big sister, Opal. She also loved visiting the school’s garden. Aurelia previously attended Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation Early Childhood Center. She truly loved all her teachers and classmates.
Aurelia loved all things yellow, all things ballet, Paris, baking, books and of course cats.
Aurelia is survived by her mother, Candace Gwaltney and stepfather, Brett Edstene; her father Ryan Gwaltney; sisters, Opal and Nadya; grandparents, Dave ‘PopPop’ and Sandy ‘Mimi’ Beaty, Tony and Connie Gwaltney, and Barry and Beth Edstene; great-grandparents Don and Bobbie Griffith and Vivian Gwaltney; uncles and aunts Kyle and Michelle Beaty and Chris and Ashley Gwaltney; cousin Esther Beaty; and many more special family members and friends as well as three dogs that love her.
A private family gathering will be held at Feeney-Hornak Keystone Mortuary in Indianapolis with a brief prayer service led by Rabbi Scott Fox. A celebration of life will be held in the coming weeks for all family and friends.
The family would like to thank Aurelia’s doctors, nurses and support team at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital for the incredible care she received during her more than two-year battle with brain cancer.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: St. Baldrick’s Foundation or the Little Wish Foundation.
Aurelia’s magic will live on in our hearts and actions. We hope all who know Aurelia’s story remember her magic and share it with others.
Online condolences may be left at www.feeneyhornakkeystone.com
