ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. (WXYZ) — Seven-year-old Mackenzie Trybus loved going to Blossom Heath Park in St. Clair Shores.
She lost her life at the park and now, her grandmothers are trying to honor her life with a memorial at the park.
“She was everyone’s bright light. She had a very loving, compassionate, silly type of personality,” Tammy DeFord, Mackenzie’s grandma, said.
DeFord is working with the city of St. Clair Shores and Mackenzie’s other grandma, Kathleen Donoher, to make the memorial happen.
Back in October, Mackenzie was killed after a freak accident involving the family car.
Since Mackenzie loved being outdoors and butterflies, her grandmas want the memorial to consist of a butterfly garden and commemorative benches.
“It’s just going to be a place of tranquility, peace in honor of her and it will be a place for healing not just for our family but for the community,” DeFord sai.
DeFord is hoping to raise about $10,000 for the garden and benches.
“Things are a little more expensive because they are for the public, so they have to be a little more sturdy and make it more becoming for everyone’s use,” DeFord added.
DeFord says if they end up raising more money than they need, the extra funds will go to make improvements to other parts of the park.
“What was Mackenzie’s favorite part about coming to the park?” 7 News Detroit reporter Tiarra Braddock asked.
“The beach. She loved the whole thing. I mean, this was her favorite thing, but she loved the beach,” DeFord said.
If you would like to donate to Mackenzie’s memorial fund, you can do that through the GoFundMe her family has set.
