A turnout of 100 plus was on hand Thursday night to honor the memory of eleven-year-old Amberly Alexis Barnett.

A special Candlelight and Balloon Sendoff took place under the darkening skies at the old K-Mart parking lot in Centre. Amberly was remembered fondly by all those who made their way out to the event, especially by her family members and friends from the communities she was a part of. Barnett was a native of Cedartown, Georgia, but recently had been living with her Aunt KK in the Sand Rock and Collinsville area while attending Sand Rock School.

Pictured above is the 11-year-old’s Pawpaw and 17-year military veteran, John Barnett, who held onto a special tribute picture of his departed granddaughter as shown at the top of this article. Mr. Barnett took the chance to talk about Amberly with reporters and expressed his gratitude to the turnout for the event.

Blake Waddell, a youth pastor for Living Word Ministries, offered a prayer around the candlelight backdrop before the releasing of hundreds of blue balloons by those who had gathered in tribute of Amberly’s all-too-short life. Blue was Amberly’s favorite color according to family members and friends. Provided below is a video of the proceedings.

Family friends that helped put together the event also wanted to express gratitude to the Center PD, Centre Fire Department, and Regulators Motorcycle Club for attending. The funeral for Barnett is being held Friday in Cedartown, Georgia. For an added look back at the event, a Facebook page for the Sendoff can be found here.