Ella Byrd McKeirnan

Our dear, sweet Ella passed away peacefully in her sleep right before dawn on February 19, 2020 in the devoted presence of her mom, dad and three brothers.  She gave everything she had to this life and fought to stay a part of it until her independent spirit decided it was time to go.  She was an old soul and the best of this generation.  Ella’s grace, intelligence, toughness and beauty were renowned to those who knew her and to many who didn’t.

Ella was born in Edmonds, Washington in the early morning of March 5, 1999 with a full head of dark hair and sparkly dark blue eyes that were to become her physical hallmarks.  She lived briefly with her family in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle until they moved to Spokane and took up residence in their present home on East 9th Avenue. 

Ella grew up in an idyllic world for kids, with much encouragement to explore life’s possibilities, and many entertainment options. With built-in playmates in her brothers and cousins, there was always something to do, inside or outside, at home or at her beloved Spirit Lake.  One day she might be drawing on her front walk with chalk, and the next day she might be riding a tube behind the boat or digging in the sand.  One day she might be rolling a snow man, and the next she might be in the gym working on her soccer skills, or at a birthday party full of relatives and friends.

From her earliest days, Ella showed a proclivity to excel, to try new things and to welcome everyone around her into her circle.  She walked before she was nine months, read by the time she was four years old, and was doing advanced algebra by seventh grade.  She could also play the piano and violin, sing all the words to every Disney ballad ever written, and create beautiful pieces of art.  She was a voracious reader and joyfully pursued academic excellence, not only becoming a valedictorian at Gonzaga Prep, but earning a near perfect score the one time she took the SAT (not to mention an actual perfect score on the math section).  She was only the second girl in the 25-year history of the prestigious Spokane Scholars Foundation awards to win the top prize for math.  She took every Advanced Placement class offered at G-Prep, earning almost two years of college credit.  She was offered admission to top universities like Notre Dame, the University of California at Berkeley and UCLA, and was accepted into the honors program at the University of Washington.

Not everything came naturally to Ella.  Her parents valued the benefits of team sports and encouraged Ella’s participation, but despite her ability, she was not the fieriest of competitors.  She had to work hard to play AAU basketball through junior high and elite-level soccer through high school.  On her teams, she learned many important lessons, made some of her best friends and experienced a lot of success, culminating in Gonzaga Prep’s run to the final four in the 2015 Washington state 4A soccer playoffs.  Perhaps Ella’s greatest moment in sports came during that run when she personally shut down a future national team member in a 1-0 playoff victory.

Ella nurtured her soul in many ways, but most involved shared experiences.  She regularly tutored her younger brothers, even into her final months.  She coached her youngest brother’s 5th and 6th grade classmates in regional math competitions, learning in the process to effectively interact with their parents as well.  She loved participating in and helping organize student retreats in high school and is still remembered for her leadership and special attention to detail.  She was obsessed with Harry Potter as a child and with Game of Thrones as a young adult, regularly discussing fan theories and speculating about plot and character developments with her fellow enthusiasts.  She thoroughly enjoyed weddings and other celebrations, particularly when there was music and dancing.  She lived to travel, often following her cherished Zags on basketball trips to warm destinations.  She also enjoyed touring colleges with her parents, theme parks with her friends, and big cities with her family.  One of her only regrets in life was not having the opportunity to see more of the world.  With her practicality and wisdom beyond her years, she also served as a counselor and mentor to many, including her parents, brothers, cousins and friends.  Her advice was always direct and consistently grounded and valuable.  Over the last three years, Ella also became an advocate, regularly attending and speaking at cancer fundraisers put on by various organizations and lending her name to cancer-focused initiatives.

Ella’s physical and mental toughness were unequaled.  She approached her illness with an almost casual disregard.  She never lamented having cancer and complained so rarely about symptoms of her disease and its often brutal treatments that her doctor worried she lacked pain receptors.  She was determined to ignore it until she couldn’t, and then adjusted her activities to maximize her ability to continue to live her life.  For several months, she traveled by herself to Dallas for treatment as part of a clinical trial.  She often flew to Texas on overnight flights to minimize her time away from home and received chemo treatments while there that caused nausea and fatigue before flying home.  She was always looking ahead and planning trips and special events between treatments that she could experience with her family and friends.  She even got a job at the Gonzaga University Book Store and worked regularly between treatments.  Ella’s approach to the challenges she faced and her determination to maintain a positive mindset were featured several times on the evening news, inspiring thousands of others by her example and allowing many in the community to get to know and love her.

Ella lived her life to its fullest, and when she left it, she did it on her own terms and with nothing in reserve.  She will be remembered forever for the special and unique person that she was and will continue to inspire future generations through her achievements and actions that made the world a better place.  In her valedictory address to over 2,000 people on June 4, 2017, which she gave just two months after her diagnosis, Ella said “it is inevitable in life that we will face loss and hardship,” but that she felt “prepared to face whatever challenges awaited her” because of her membership in a strong community and the relationships she had built.  She closed by expressing her confidence that her classmates “will do amazing and unexpected things; they will act in ways that will improve and transform their communities; they will go forth and set the world on fire.”

And Ella did all of that.

Ella is survived by her parents, Chere’ (Byrd) and Tom McKeirnan, her brothers, Cael, Daniel and Cavan, her Grandparents, Mary Byrd and Lee and Maria McKeirnan, and her aunts, uncles and cousins: Doug and Karen Byrd (Giacobbe and Grace), Greg and Kareena Byrd (Shafalika, Sheadon, Shanaya, Sitara, Sharissa and Shalini), Duane and Donna Byrd (Joshua, Camille and Shane Warren and their baby Emma Rose, Amelia and Hannah), Jeffrey and Kim Byrd (Aubrey and Joshua Soares, Emery, Isaac and Graham), LuAnn Byrd Charon (Annelise, Greyson, Ignatia and Quinlyn), Matthew and Stefani Byrd (Ruby and Jack) Chadwick and Camilla Byrd (Kayah and Mia), and Teresa (McKeirnan) and Noah Cooper (Jackson, Grace and Duncan). She is also survived by thousands of others she touched, including her extended family in the Byrd, McKeirnan and Herzog clans, friends, schoolmates, teachers, teammates, coaches, co-workers, caregivers and admirers.  Ella was preceded in death by her younger brother Macklin, and her grandfather, Vern Byrd.

Ella made it clear to us that she didn’t want her memorial to be a somber gathering, and instead wanted something uplifting so people could truly celebrate and enjoy themselves.  We are planning exactly that kind of celebration of Ella’s life.  The celebration will begin at 6 pm on Friday, March 13, 2020, and will be held at center court of the McCarthey Athletic Center on Gonzaga University’s campus.  It will be immediately followed by a gathering with music and dancing on the upper east concourse at McCarthey.

Ella’s funeral celebration, which will also be a joyful service, will be held the next day, Saturday, March 14, 2020 at 1:30 p.m., at St. Aloysius Catholic Church.  It will be followed immediately by a reception in the Karen Gaffney Champions Room at the Volkar Center for Athletic Achievement, also on Gonzaga University’s campus.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent either to Gonzaga Prep for a scholarship fund set up in Ella’s name for deserving students, or to the Community Cancer Fund to fight cancer in the Inland Northwest.

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