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Neighborhood pays respect to Herriman 10-year-old

Posted at 9:27 PM, Oct 11, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-11 23:27:36-04

HERRIMAN, Utah — Neighbors are showing the family of a 10-year-old girl who died last week that they're not alone.

Lauren Haaga came home from school sick on October 3 in Herriman. To warm her up, Lauren’s mother poured her a bath. Ten minutes later, she returned to find Lauren’s face underwater.

Lauren was airlifted to the hospital and died the next day from complications related to influenza.

“Just to think how — one minute, normal life, and the next second, completely turned upside down,” said Chelsea Ware, a family friend.

The night before Lauren’s funeral, dozens of neighbors lit luminaries around the Haaga family home.

“She was just so sweet. She was giggly and kind and she would always be sure to clean up the toys,” Ware said.

Lauren’s obituary said she “radiated joy and goodness.”

The ultimate "girly girl," Lauren’s favorite color was pink.

On Tuesday, more than 50 neighborhood girls painted hundreds of pumpkins and placed them on porches in the neighborhood to show the Haaga family they’re not grieving alone.

“Her parents had found videos of her on her phone saying things like, ‘We just need to love and we need to be kind,’ things that can take other people a lifetime to figure out,” Ware said.

Funeral services will be held Saturday with a viewing from 10-11:30 a.m. at the Starlite Hill Chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Harriman.