Gianna Rose Lilly Naylor

life story

Cherished Child, Loving Sister, All-Around Amazing Human

Without a doubt, Gianna left an immeasurable impact on every person who ever had the honor of knowing her or even just hearing of her incredible story. One of the greatest gifts she shared was her unwavering sense of justice, unconditional love and acceptance, and inspirational self-assuredness. She was the organizational glue of our little family and her bright spirit will live on in everything we do, every second of every day. The day after she passed, we found a notepad of these rules that we had started composing as a family that Gianna had finished. They will grace the walls of our home as a reminder of her kind and joyful soul, but they were just too good to keep to ourselves, so we're now sharing them far and wide for everyone to have a little more Gianna in their lives.

Family House Rules

- Be kind.

- Support each other.

- Create a safe space.

- Try your best.

- Try new things.

- Be open to sharing.

- Be patient.

- Respect each other’s privacy.

- Don’t criticize others.

- Share your toys.

- If you make a mess, clean it up.

- Do your job all the way, not halfway.

- Take turns.

- Keep your body to yourself.

- Don’t assume.

- Ask consent.

- Love yourself.

- Use your manners.

- Clean your body and your booty.

- Be happy.

- Have empathy.

The Story of Gianna Rose Lilly

The cherished and magical Gianna Rose Lilly entered the world on June 15, 2006, at 2:50 PM, the exact moment it would become apparent that she would do everything in her own time…Her birth was induced on her due date, and upon arrival at the hospital, her mama, Liz’s, instinct indicated she was supposed to come the next day. However, when her mama asked the OB if she could just go home and come back the following morning, the doctor laughed, and said, “No, you’re here and you’re having this baby today.”

The doctor was right, and Gianna came swiftly into the world, into her grandma's hands, a mere 20 minutes after the doc had checked and labor had progressed to only 6 cm. Though she was here, earthside, alert, nursing, and healthy, Miss Gianna refused to open her eyes. They were held very tightly shut until EXACTLY 24 hours later when SHE was ready to be here on this planet…The first month of her life she would only open one eye, except to look at her mama, who had the honor of seeing both of her beautiful brown peepers, and even after that, for the first couple of years of her life, she was very apprehensive with most people…and that desire to be her person, to do things as she saw fit, in her own time, and to keep us all on our toes, continued all the way up until the very end.

Gianna lived an immensely full life and packed in more love, adventure, vibrance, road trips, art projects, worldly travels, simple joys, games of Monopoly, hugs, cooking, laughter-filled meals, kind words, music, smiles, dancing, reading, empathy, singing, and pretend "school" sessions in her 16 years, 9 months, and 2 days than most people could experience in a lifetime of over 100 years.

Gianna was the most generous, compassionate, helpful, couragous, strong, and beautiful-inside-and-out human that one could ever hope to meet. Though she shared those gifts with everyone she encountered, she held a very special place in her heart for her siblings, Giacomo, Lukas, and Isadora, her mom, Liz, grandparents, Kathy and Steve, PCA Dylan and nurse, Dianne (AKA "The Double Ds",) dear friends, Maya, Kathleen, and Ava, along with countless teachers/school support staff, camp buddies, maternal family members, and friends who have become family, all who loved and cared for her just as much as she loved and cared for them.

Gianna was first diagnosed in 2010 with myontonic dsytrophy and lived each of her days to the absolutely fullest, even as her sickness took over her body, sharing her light and one-of-a-kind spirit with every provider who ever had the honor of caring for her throughout her medical journey. She was a teacher and a guide on how to provide patient-centered care and embrace the uniqueness of each individual, again forcing all who met her to stay curious.

As her illness progressed and she became intuitively aware that she was entering the final chaper of her incredible life on this planet, Gianna took the pen (or whiteboard marker, in all actuality) and took on the role of author. She planned a stellar Celebration of Life and made a very conscious and self-compassionate decision about how she would leave this world and begin her time in the spirit world, with promised visits back here as the oh-so-very-Gianna spirit animal, the hummingbird.

These are the words of her mama, as she shared Gianna's final moments with her on March 17, 2023, hand-in-hand until Gianna was ready to move forward into the spirit world, in the way that Gianna Rose Lilly had requested to be guided...

"This morning, just before 9:30, my brave little unicorn let me know that she was ready…I took her hand, and as she planned, we walked out into this warm, calm part of the ocean…As the water reached our waists, I picked her up, and gently guided her to her back, and then I lay on mine…And together we floated, hand in hand…I told her how much I loved her, how her light was so bright on this earth, but would shine even brighter in the spirit world…I told her how brave she is and how proud I am and that she was so strong, but that it was okay to stop fighting…And that going to the light was not giving up, but was her choosing bliss and comfort and stability over pain and a body that had served her well to travel and see the world and experience so much, but lately had been so hard to live in…I held her hand and I heard the countless spirits calling her name with pure joy at the idea of meeting her and sharing space with her…We floated until she was ready to go towards that light, and then, incredibly peacefully and without a single sound, or ounce of hurt left in her beautiful body, at 9:31 AM, my little hummingbird flew free…And now this mama will perch, with heart-wrenching sorrow, and peace in my soul, for my little one is no longer just surviving, but is thriving in a world of happiness that I cannot even fathom, but is exactly what she has envisioned and absolutely deserves."

memorial service

Celebration of Life

March 24, 2023

Please join us to celebrate the very full, vibrant, joyful and adventurous life of Miss Gianna Rose Lilly. She graced the world with her incredibly bright light on June 15, 2006 and flew free to become a hummingbird and shine her light even brighter in heaven on March 17, 2023. Come prepared to share in some of Gianna’s favorite activities—music, dancing, art, singing, eating tacos, and bowling! Please come wearing one of her favorite colors—purple, pink, teal, blue, red, and green—and make a rainbow of love for our beautiful-inside-and-out-and-beyond, sweet, strong, courageous, and wise…Gianna 💜

Funeral/Cremation Provider: Crescent Tide Cremation Services