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"She was amazing, she brought smiles to everybody," says her uncle, Steve Hastings.
So many words to describe a young woman who lived such a short life. Taylor Heersche was just 15-years-old when she died. The teen had been battling leukemia for four and a half years. She died Tuesday morning.
"I prayed for her and thought about her and it just really breaks my heart that she had to die so young," says her former classmate, Monica Biltz.
Now people in her hometown of Mulvane aren't mourning her death but celebrating her life, just the way she wanted it.
"It's still a homecoming in our eyes, it's just a different home that she's going to, a better home that she's going to, so it's more of a celebration than the grief," says Maggie Keys, one of Taylor's classmates.
Drive down Main street in Mulvane and there are orange ribbons tied around trees, light poles and street signs. Orange is the official color for leukemia.
Taylor requested that everyone wear the t-shirts she designed to describe the community that put their arms around her while she was sick.
"She wanted us to celebrate and not be sad. she knew where she was going and she knew what she was looking forward to, so there's hope in that and peace in that," says Bri Kipp, Youth Director at Mulvane United Methodist, Taylor's church.
Her friends and family say they'll miss her but they're happy to know that Taylor says she's in a better place.