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A funeral has taken place for a much-loved Lincolnshire girl who died at the age of 16. Tributes poured in for teenager Kibi Wade (Barrett) after her family found her dead at their Caistor home on Wednesday, July 24.
She was described as “bubbly and silly” and “always having a smile on her face”. It is believed that Kibi took her own life. On Tuesday, September 3, a procession of bikers, led by the Lincolnshire Emergency Blood Bike, travelled along the streets of Louth, escorting the hearse and family cars to St James’ Church.
Kibi’s family members and those attending the funeral wore her favourite colour, purple, to remember her by. Adorned with a huge bouquet of pink and purple flowers, her coffin was brought into the church by mum Michelle Barrett, stepmum Michelle Gardner, sisters Julia, Tia and Nyah and brothers Reuben and Bray, as the song ‘A Thousand Years’ by Christina Perri was played, reports Grimsby Live.
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Leading the poignant service, Reverend Croft began by saying: “My heart breaks for the family of Kibi and the tragedy of this service of a young life.”
Kibi’s mum and stepmum, both Michelle, gave moving individual speeches at the service. Mum Michelle said: “My beautiful daughter was my second-to-last baby. She made her entrance into the world at our home in Southend. She was a happy little kid growing up with older siblings, and a couple of years later, her younger sibling arrived.
(Image: Donna Clifford/GrimsbyLive)
“When she was five, we moved from Essex to Suffolk. Unfortunately for all my children we moved around quite a lot, so they attended several different schools. Mostly, though, Kibi was happy, but we were pulled into a nightmare very quickly after starting secondary school.
“She quickly lost her confidence and I watched her struggle with friendships and her mental health for five years. I could’ve been better as a parent in many ways, but I too had a lot of very difficult stuff going on, and the family as a whole had so much suffering over the last few years.
“When we moved up to Lincolnshire, it felt like a fantastic fresh start, and we had hope that life was going to get better. For Kibi, though, life got worse.
(Image: Family Handout)
“Kibi was so excited about studying Hair and Beauty at college. None of us could have predicted what happened next. Here we are as a family, devastated, having to bury my daughter, because ultimately, we couldn’t protect her from this evil world. She was made to feel hated and ugly. Nothing can ever prepare you for this as a parent.
“There will always be a Kibi shaped hole in our lives, and we have to learn to live this new normal. I love you, my beautiful Kibi. You will be missed more than I can ever put into words.”
Stepmum Michelle said: “I met Michelle just over 18 months ago and always said that I not only fell in love with her. I tried to be the best parent I could be. Initially Kibi was wary of me, but after a couple of months, she started to warm to me. My first real memory was taking Reuben, Nyah and Kibi out shopping for their mum’s birthday presents, and Kibi lent me some of her clothes for us to go out as a family for a meal.
“At the time, they lived in Norwich, and when I went to stay, we were due to go out on the bikes at Skegness, and Kibi stood there with a crash helmet on, a crop top and a handbag. She always wanted to look beautiful. I think she also saw me as a soft touch. When we went to the cinema, she brought a huge tub of sweets.”
(Image: Donna Clifford/GrimsbyLive)
Michelle said that when the family moved to Caistor to live with her, Kibi became “withdrawn”.
She continued: “Kibi was a typical teenager, staying in her room, but I fondly remember our trips to Costa and Starbucks talking about school subjects, her latest crush and music.
“She loved music, both singing and listening to Billie Eilish. During her last term at school she began dating a lovely young girl, who is here with us today, and planned to go to college to follow her dreams with everything to live for.
“Fast forward to July this year, that evening we found she had taken her own life. This was the night part of my heart was taken out by those who cruelly bullied her. May she rest in peace.”
Michelle said the family have “made a promise” to Kibi that no other young person or their families will “endure what she has suffered and what we as a family are suffering”.
The song ‘Ocean Eyes’ by Billie Eilish was played, before Kibi’s coffin was led out by her family to the song, ‘Skyscraper’ by Sam Bailey.
The NHS Choices website lists the following helplines and support networks for people to talk to.
- Samaritans (116 123) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you’re feeling, or if you’re worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org.
- Childline (0800 1111) runs a helpline for children and young people in the UK. Calls are free and the number won’t show up on your phone bill.
- PAPYRUS (0800 068 41 41) is an organisation supporting teenagers and young adults who are feeling suicidal.
- Mind (0300 123 3393) is a charity based in England providing advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. They campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding.
- Students Against Depression is a website for students who are depressed, have a low mood or are having suicidal thoughts.
- Bullying UK is a website for both children and adults affected by bullying.
