Less than a week after losing her mother to brain cancer, Mackenzie McKee and — many other loved ones — paid moving tribute to Angie Douthit on Saturday.
In a funeral service that included a pre-taped video message from Angie Douthit herself, the Teen Mom 2 star said goodbye to the mother whose cancer journey inspired millions on social media.
Angie, as her family members described it, completed her race on December 9, three days after entering hospice care and stopping treatment against the disease with which she had been diagnosed about two years ago.
McKee has since honored her mom with a tattoo and a moving statement on Instagram.
“You passed a torch down to us and I will not fail you,” Mackenzie wrote online a day after her mother died, concluding her statement last week as follows:
“I will live for Christ and love like him like you always taught me. I will make you proud momma.”
At Saturday’s ceremony, meanwhile, Douthit’s sister, Mandi Smith, took to the podium to pay tribute to the woman who inspired so many across the nation with her faith throughout her cancer diagnosis and treatment.
“I would like to tell you a couple things Angie would want you to know. First, Angie did not lose her battle to cancer,” she said, according to Champion Daily.
Mackenzie’s aunt then continued:
“She won the race set before her. We watched her cross that finish line. And no doubt the last part of the race was tough, but she never quit and she finished strong.”
Mandi proceeded to eulogize her sister as follows:
“Second thing Angie would want you to know is that she knew many people would ask, ‘Why did this happen, why her?’
“Angie would say, ‘Why not me?’ She knew this was God’s plan. That’s why she titled her book God’s Plan…
“The third thing Angie would want you to know is that she did not want any of us to get angry about her passing.
“Now she knew we would all go through the stages of grief — anger being one of them — but she did not want you to stay in that anger.”
Douthit’s son, Zeke, also memorialized his mother in beautiful fashion at the funeral.
According to this same report, he sang “You Are My Sunshine.”
And he also gave a speech that included this snippet:
“I know Mom’s got a huge smile up there with you Lord.
“I just pray that you be with everybody in this room and if they don’t have you in their hearts or know you, or we pray that this service can help them want to come to know you Lord.”
As mentioned above, in a unique move that left all attendees in tears, Douthit’s own words during a previous sermon at church were also played back on a large screen for the mourners.
“When I turned 40 a few years ago, I said, ‘Wow my life is half over. What have I done?'” she said in this footage.
“One day, I had an X-ray and it changed my life … And I said, ‘God, what’s my purpose?’
“And this is what he said, so simple. He said, ‘When you leave, I want people to know your Jesus.”
Pretty amazing, right? That she could maintain this perspective in the face of a cancer diagnosis?
“My whole purpose is that people know my Jesus and they know the love of Christ and they know that rules, regulations, laws, it’s nothing,” Angie continued in this video, concluding:
“It’s all about Jesus Christ and what he did for us. …The whole world is just such a crazy mess, and I just want people to know Jesus. …
“So every one of you gotta go out and let people know your Jesus. Share the love of God. Don’t judge. Don’t condemn. Don’t hate. Forgive. Share love. Hug. Smile. Help people.”
Finally, Mackenize once again honored her mom by sharing some photos this week on Instagram and writing as a caption to them:
I know hundreds of thousands of you got to hear Gods love through @angiedouthit over the years and were inspired or had your life change.
That’s all she wanted.
I know you all would come if your could but you are all over the world. Your love and support means the world to us.