Cecilia Leann Wear

In Loving Memory of Cecilia Leann Wear born sleeping, July 13, 2025 – 26 weeks gestation

“So small, so silent — yet the loudest ache we’ve ever known.”

With shattered hearts, we announce that Cecilia Leann Wear was born and passed away on July 13, 2025, in Hays, Kansas. Though she never opened her eyes or took her first breath, Cecilia was deeply known, profoundly loved, and forever cherished.

She was the beloved daughter of Anna Cecilia Wear, who carried her not only in her womb but in her soul — even when it was believed that Cecilia had been lost weeks earlier. In an unexpected turn, Anna learned that her baby girl still lived — only to have her taken again, far too soon. The days between were filled with hope, love, and dreams that now live on in memory.

Cecilia was preceded in death by her grandmother, Arilla Leann (Mizell) Wear; and her great-grandfather, Billie R. Wear; and we find comfort in the thought that they are holding her now, beyond this world. Her grandmother cradles her in love until the day her mother can again, whispering lullabies from generations past. Beside them, her great-grandfather teaches her the quiet strength of a soldier’s spirit — a legacy of honor, loyalty, and courage that lives in her blood. Cecilia is also joined in Heaven by five cousins who went before her — little lights who left this earth too soon, but who will now walk beside her, showing her the way with gentle hands and open arms. Together, they are a circle unbroken, a family reunited in the stars.

She is survived by her devoted mother, Anna Cecilia Wear; her great-grandmother, Florence Cecilia (Younger) Wear; her grandfather, William Bruce Wear and his significant other, Elaine Marie (Augustine) Diehl; and her aunt and uncle, Arilla Christine and Brandon Clark; all of whom will carry Cecilia’s light for the rest of their lives. She is also survived by many amazing aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends who had already begun to love her deeply, and who will honor her always.

Born a sleeping angel, Cecilia never had the chance to live the life her mother dreamed for her — but oh, what a life it would have been. Fierce and free, she would have grown into a woman of courage, compassion, and conviction — a protector of the voiceless, a spirit unafraid of the wild. The daughter of a warrior, she carried that same fire in her soul. Had fate allowed, she would have walked boldly through life — boots laced with honor, purpose in her stride. She would have leapt from planes, fast-roped from helicopters, rescued the wounded and the weak, and stood tall with steady hands and a steady heart. Her strength would have been wrapped in gentleness, her integrity as fierce as her love. A girl raised to lead with kindness and grit. She was meant to be both shelter and storm. The world never got to feel her presence — but it surely would have.

Instead, she came to us as an angel — silent, still, and impossibly perfect. She was real. She was radiant. She mattered. And she is missed beyond what words can reach. “There is no foot too small that it cannot leave an imprint on this world.”

Cecilia Leann Wear — your name is written in our hearts, and your story is not over.

In her memory, Anna asks that you take a quiet moment to hold close the children in your lives, furry kids too, and speak her daughter’s name into the wind: Cecilia Leann Wear.

A private Graveside Remembrance service will be held by family at Fort Hays Memorial Gardens Cemetery, Hays, Kansas. Services are entrusted to Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary of Hays, 1919 East 22nd Street, Hays, Kansas 67601. Condolences can be emailed to clineschapels@gmail.com or left by guest book at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com

The family would like to extend their deepest and most heartfelt gratitude to the OBGYN team, Emergency Department, ICU, and PCU staff at Hays Medical Center, who fought tirelessly to protect both Cecilia and her mother during the most fragile and uncertain hours. In the face of heartbreak, your compassion, skill, and urgency became a source of strength. You cared for Anna not just as a patient, but as a mother in crisis, and honored Cecilia’s life with tenderness and dignity. Your efforts will never be forgotten — and your kindness will forever be etched into this family’s story.

A special thank you also goes to Cookie at Clines-Keithley Mortuary of Hays, whose warmth, compassion, and guidance helped carry the family through this unimaginable loss with grace and care. Your support has been a quiet light in the darkest days, and we are forever grateful.