For the first time, the parents of 8-year-old Kellyanne Lytal, who died in the floodwaters at Camp Mystic, are sharing their story.
Malorie and Wade Lytal have found an unexpected friendship with Aaron Kendle, a retired Navy SEAL who helped search for Kellyanne’s body.
The bond between the two families grew in the chaotic days following the flood, united by grief and hope.
“I’d always be sitting on that chair over there, and she’d come walking down the steps in some new outfit, dress, makeup, lipstick. ‘Daddy, how do I look?’ And she knew the answer, you know. And so, just what a beautiful soul she was,” Wade said.
Kendle, a former Navy corpsman with SEAL teams, joined the search efforts at Camp Mystic.
“We brought ourselves as a group of special operators that were here to help,” he said.
The connection deepened when Wade reached out to Kendle for a phone call after Kendle found some of Kellyanne’s belongings downstream.
“He had found some of Kellyanne’s belongings downriver, I think her CD player,” Wade said. “He saw her initials on it and everything and sent me a text saying, ‘Hey, you know, I’m coming back to San Antonio. Can I bring this to you?’”
Soon after, Wade and Kendle discovered they were neighbors living just a few streets apart in Alamo Heights.
“The first time we met in person at his house, I mean, we both just cried together,” Wade said.
Kendle became a vital source of support for the Lytal family during the difficult search. Kellyanne’s body was found one week after the flood.
Six months later, the friendship continues to grow. Wade and Kendle run together to honor Kellyanne’s kindness through the Kindness4Kellyanne foundation, created by Malorie and Wade in their daughter’s memory.
“She had the most unbelievable heart,” Malorie said. “There are so many examples that we could share of her being kind and so many more that we didn’t even know about until after she passed, but we thought it was a beautiful way to say kindness for Kellyanne, and let’s spread kindness in her honor.”
The group is inviting the community to join Team 27 SATX in the Run The Alamo race this March. The number 27 represents the 27 girls lost from Camp Mystic in the flood.
Wade shared how Kellyanne’s memory motivates him during the race.
“He had the picture of Kellyanne, I had my button, and every time I got tired, all I had to do was look down,” Wade said. “I’m like, I’m not quitting. I’m going to keep going.”
Malorie hopes the foundation will make Kellyanne proud.
“I just want her to be proud of us. I want to honor her,” she said.
The family credits their faith and community support for helping them through their grief.
“I know I couldn’t make it through this without our faith and without the community rally behind her and behind us and just honoring these girls that deserve to be here,” Malorie said.
“I think God’s put a lot of people in our lives now since the tragedy. But also I think we’re in their lives for a reason, too,” Wade said.
As the Lytals honor their daughter’s memory, they want people to remember that one of the 27 Camp Mystic girls still has not been found after the flood. They continue to pray that the remains of Cile Steward will be brought home.
Those interested in learning about the Heaven’s 27 Foundation can click here.
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