Celebrating “Texas City’s Angel,” Kendall Sumners

TEXAS CITY’S ANGEL GAINED her wings on Tuesday when Kendall Sumners was called Home. Sumners’ body gave everything against her fight with cystic fibrosis, yet her spirit will remain a lasting legacy and a shining example of courage and determination against all odds.

“Texas City was her everything,” said Kelly Sumners, Kendall’s mother. “She bled orange and black. She would always say that Stingaree Stadium was her home.”

When placed on hospice last December, Kendall dialed up a level of focus and tunnel vision that allowed her to achieve her biggest goal: graduating from Texas City High School. “She began to push so much,” said her mother. “Graduating meant so much to her, and we were fortunate that TCISD went out of their way to help do so.”

Kendall was able to participate in a variety of extracurricular activities, including becoming a member of the Stingarees’ varsity cheerleading team along with considerable time on the water, where she honed her skills as a fisherman. She was also an active member of Project Graduation, the TCHS Student Council and National Art Honor Society. 

However, it was a love of all things firefighting that stood out.

“Anytime she would hear the sound of the sirens or saw a firetruck, she would always say, ‘there’s my people!’ said her mother. 

To the Texas City Fire Department, Kendall became one of their own. When she was given the opportunity to serve as EMS Administrator during Texas City’s Mainland Youth in Government program, she asked Fire Chief David Zacherl if she could sit in the front of a medical unit because “I usually ride in the back.”

The moment became the inspiration for TCFD to make Kendall an honorary member of the department in February, complete with an official uniform and the honor to ride in the Mardi Gras parade.

“There was no quit in Kendall, she possessed an abundance of courage, strength and determination, qualities that empower one to continually move forward despite overwhelming odds and extraordinarily difficult circumstance,” said Zacherl in an official memorandum announcing her passing.  

Added Zacherl, “Kendall is and was truly a Warrior Princess.”

Kendall began expanding into new territories after graduation, becoming an independent consultant for Scentsy, achieving Shooting Star status after her first home party. Kelly Sumners said that she and her family will continue the business in her memory.

She was accepted into Blinn Junior College but had planned to attend College of the Mainland in the fall.

“She was the one who would befriend the kid who was sitting alone at the lunch table,” said her mother. “Kendall was always looking to brighten everyone’s day. Her friends would say that even though she didn’t always feel 100 percent, you’d never know because she always gave 100 percent.”

Services are pending, yet it feels there’s only place big enough to allow family and friends to celebrate her amazing life: Stingaree Stadium. 

After all, it was – and always will be – “her house.”