Mae Annabelle Younger, a 12-year-old girl from Fort Thomas, Kentucky, died peacefully at home on Thursday, September 3, 2026, leaving her family, friends, teachers, caregivers, and wider community mourning the loss of a young girl remembered for her warmth, kindness, and ability to bring joy to the people around her.
Born on November 8, 2013, Mae was a student connected to Redwood, Woodfill Elementary, and Highlands Middle School. Throughout her school years, she became known to classmates, teachers, and caregivers as someone whose personality and presence could leave a lasting impression.
According to her obituary, Mae enjoyed a wide range of activities and found happiness in participating in the things she loved. Ballet, horseback riding, bowling, and music were among her interests, while Sunday outings with her grandfather became another cherished part of her life.
Those everyday experiences helped shape the memories her family and friends are now holding onto. Rather than being remembered only through the circumstances of her death, Mae is being celebrated for the interests, relationships, and moments that brought happiness into her life.
Mae is survived by her parents, Bradley and Elizabeth Younger, her brother Austin, and a large extended family that includes grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other relatives.
Her mother shared the news of Mae’s passing publicly, referring to her daughter as “our sweet Mae.” Her message reflected the depth of the family’s grief while also encouraging others to remember and celebrate the happiness Mae brought during her 12 years of life.
The loss has also deeply affected members of Mae’s athletic community, particularly those who knew her through adaptive sports.
All Abilities Sports NKY, an organization supporting adaptive athletics in Northern Kentucky, shared a tribute describing Mae as a beloved young athlete. The organization noted that she had recently begun participating in a new soccer season.
One memory from a recent practice has become especially meaningful to the people who knew her. Mae reportedly insisted that she wanted a blue jersey, even though the team color assigned to her group was navy.
The organization said that a special blue jersey would be created for Mae’s family in her memory, turning the small moment from practice into a lasting tribute to her personality and the joy she brought to those around her.
All Abilities Sports NKY also announced plans to collect gift cards for the Younger family and to honor Mae during upcoming games. These efforts are intended to provide both practical support and an opportunity for the athletic community to remember one of its young members.
Mae’s involvement in adaptive sports became another important part of her life and allowed her to participate alongside other young athletes while forming friendships and creating memories.
For her family, those memories now provide an important connection to the girl they loved and the activities that brought her happiness.
Funeral and memorial arrangements have been made to allow relatives, friends, classmates, teachers, teammates, and community members to gather and honor Mae.
A visitation is scheduled for Thursday, September 10, from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. at the Fort Thomas Mess Hall on Cochran Street. A funeral service will follow at 7 p.m. at the same location.
Mae will be laid to rest at St. Stephen Cemetery in Fort Thomas at a later time selected by her family.
The family has also made specific requests concerning memorial donations. Rather than receiving traditional gifts, they have asked supporters to consider making donations to organizations that were connected to Mae’s life.
The Campbell County Special Olympics and All Abilities Sports NKY have both been identified as preferred recipients. The organizations support children and young athletes with varying abilities throughout Northern Kentucky and the surrounding region.
Those requests allow friends and community members to honor Mae by supporting programs connected to activities and communities that were meaningful to her.
Tributes have also been shared through the funeral home’s online memorial page. Friends, neighbors, relatives, teachers, and members of the sports community have posted messages remembering Mae, lighting virtual candles, and arranging memorial trees in her honor.
Many of the messages express a combination of gratitude and grief. People have reflected on how fortunate they feel to have known Mae while also expressing sorrow over the loss experienced by her family.
Her death has created a profound absence for those who knew her in different parts of her life. For her parents and brother, she was a beloved member of the family. For teachers and caregivers, she was a student whose personality made an impression. For athletes and coaches, she was a teammate and participant who brought her own unique energy to the activities she enjoyed.
Her interests also reveal the breadth of her personality. Ballet, horseback riding, bowling, music, and soccer provided different ways for Mae to explore the world, remain active, connect with others, and have fun.
The memories of those activities are now becoming part of the larger story her family and community are telling about her life.
Mae’s mother has encouraged people not only to mourn her daughter but also to recognize the happiness and love Mae brought to those around her. That message has been echoed by community organizations and people who have shared their own memories.
Her connection to adaptive sports has been particularly significant because organizations such as All Abilities Sports NKY create opportunities for young people to participate, compete, build confidence, and form friendships.
Mae’s recent participation in soccer means that her teammates and organizers are now preparing to continue the season while carrying her memory with them.
The planned blue jersey is one visible symbol of that remembrance, reflecting a simple preference Mae expressed at practice that has now become an enduring tribute.
For Mae’s family, the coming days will be filled with difficult decisions, gatherings, memories, and grief. Yet the support from the Fort Thomas community and organizations across Northern Kentucky demonstrates how many people are standing beside them.
Services are being handled by Dobbling, Muehlenkamp-Erschell Funeral Homes, which is coordinating the arrangements and accepting condolences for the Younger family.
As family, friends, classmates, teammates, educators, and community members gather to say goodbye, Mae Annabelle Younger is being remembered for the happiness she shared, the activities she loved, and the people whose lives she touched.
Her life lasted only 12 years, but the memories created through her family, school, music, sports, and friendships will remain part of the legacy she leaves behind.
For those who knew Mae, her memory will continue through the people who loved her, the organizations that supported her, and the many ordinary moments that now carry extraordinary meaning.
The Fort Thomas and Northern Kentucky communities are coming together to support the Younger family and to celebrate the life of a young girl remembered for her warmth, enthusiasm, and ability to bring light into the lives of others.
