10-year-old girl’s last living parent dies, and now her family faces challenges laying him to rest

IDAHO FALLS — In three years, a 10-year-old Idaho Falls girl has lost both her mother and father.

Dixie McDougal’s mom, Vadea, died September 2017 from lung cancer, and her dad, George, suffered a heart attack in their home in front of Dixie at the end of March.

Dixie is an only child, and relatives say she has autism, has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and is suffering from depression and separation anxiety.

“This poor little girl has just seen too much,” Dixie’s cousin, Jenn Brewer, tells EastIdahoNews.com.

Dixie’s aunt, Merla Brewer, felt the need to take Dixie in after George died. Merla says Dixie hasn’t been able to receive the closure she aches for because her dad still hasn’t been laid to rest.

George was a veteran who fought in Desert Storm and Operation Freedom.

Dixie’s mom was cremated, so the family wants the same for George. Merla says Veterans Affairs told them they will pay for George’s headstone and a burial flag, but not to have him cremated. If they pay out of pocket for the cremation, Merla says it’s nearly $2,000.

“Dixie has been in therapy to help her through the grieving process and to understand more of what’s going on, how death works and how the grieving process works,” Jenn said. “But all this trouble with trying to bury her dad — she’s a worried little girl.”

George’s body remains at Wood Funeral Home. If nothing is done soon, Merla says his body will be turned over to the coroner.

“It’s heartbreaking because he’s a military vet, and it cost him a lot, and now he has a daughter that’s left behind parentless,” Dixie’s cousin Jolene Smith says.

George didn’t leave a will, according to Merla, so she’s been trying to sell things they don’t need anymore to earn money. The money she earns is going toward bills and taking care of the unexpected cost of Dixie’s financial needs, rather than the cremation.

“I want people to understand and know that, for me, I respect the military. My family’s full of military people, but when they become vets, there is no care (or) compassion,” Jenn says. “The Veterans Affairs don’t take care of them, and it’s sad.”

Merla doesn’t want other children to find themselves in a situation similar to Dixie’s.

“These kids are left behind, and God bless the family that steps up and takes care of them, but there are kids out there that don’t have family to step up for them,” Merla says.

By sharing Dixie’s story, Merla hopes it can help other people going through rough times know they are not alone.

“I want her to move forward. I want to put her mom and dad to rest,” Merla said. “I want her to see that they’re together again and that everything will be OK.”

A GoFundMe has been set up to raise money to cremate George and help Dixie and Merla with bills. However, Merla wants the community to know she isn’t begging for money, and would rather donations go directly to Wood Funeral Home.