Fedex sends wings to family of teenage pilot who died
Lake Little dreamed of adding “Fedex pilot” one day to her myriad achievements, the culmination of a prolific career in the sky.
The 18-year-old pilot never got the chance to fly for the Memphis delivery giant. Little, of Starkville, Mississippi, died Saturday after a plane she was flying crashed on a golf course in Oxford, Mississippi.
A Fedex captain reached out Tuesday to let the Little family know she was on the right career path.
Capt. Robin Sebasco got word of Little’s dream and sent the Little family a letter offering deepest sympathies from all of Fedex’s pilots, as seen in a Twitter post from Little’s brother, Layton Little.
Fedex pilot wings accompanied the letter.
“Her courage, determination, and persistence were the exact qualities that make the best pilots, and it is with deep regret I learned of her accident, as her loss is a loss for all aviators,” wrote Sebasco, managing director of flight operations at Fedex Express.
Little graduated from Starkville Academy in May and planned to attend the University of Southern Mississippi to study speech pathology, according to her Welch Funeral Home obituary.
Little recently enlisted in the Mississippi Air National Guard and wanted to become a U.S. Air Force pilot before flying for Fedex.
“Lake Little discovered her love for flying at a young age, reflected in her decision to join the Civil Air Patrol,” her obituary says. “In the sky, Lake said she felt at home and there was best able to envision her life goals.”
Beyond her passion for flying, Little also captained various sports teams and volunteered in her local community and in areas abroad. She was designated as Starkville’s Miss Hospitality this year and was inducted into the Starkville Academy Hall of Fame.
Funeral arrangements
Visitations will be held at First Baptist Church Outreach Worship Center in Starkville from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday and from 9 to 11 a.m. Friday. A memorial service will be held 11 a.m. Friday at the same venue.
Max Garland covers Fedex, logistics and health care. Reach him at max.garland@ commercialappeal.com or 901529-2651.