Editor’s note: This article is part of a KSAT 12 special project Remembering the Victims of the Robb Elementary School.
Have you ever felt like you know someone just by looking at their picture? That’s the feeling you get when you see Makenna Lee Elrod Seiler, 10, in family photos.
Her parents, Chris Seiler and April Elrod, told KSAT their sweet daughter, “loved big.”
“She was such a helper… if you were anywhere near her, she was…there to help,” said Seiler.
Makenna’s giving spirit inspired her parents to start a scholarship in their little one’s honor. You can read more about it, here: https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2022/11/22/scholarship-honors-life-of-robb-elementary-victim-makenna-elrod-seiler/
The 10-year-old was also a big animal lover. That’s evidenced by the mural honoring her in Uvalde.
“The animals that are on her mural…[you see] her dog, Bailey, and her daddy’s horse, Dude,” said Elrod.
Makenna’s parents also say she was fascinated by butterflies. Since her passing, Elrod told KSAT she’s noticed them around her more often.
“On her last Mother’s Day note to me, she had drawn butterflies on it. And so every day, even in this cold weather, like every day, I’ve seen butterflies. I feel like it’s a sign that she gives us that, that everything’s going to be okay,” said Elrod.
Makenna’s parents hope her legacy gives people comfort.
“I want them to see her smile…and I wish…I could show them the people that hadn’t met her, how loving she was.”
“She loved big…That’s what I want them to remember,” added Seiler.