Mama June is embarking on a bittersweet adventure — a trip to Disney World with her late daughter, Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell.
Although her mourning was interrupted by a lawsuit concerning her first grandchild, the grieving mother will be bringing Cardwell’s ashes along, transforming the happiest place on earth into a hallowed ground of love and remembrance.
Mama June And Family To Carry Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell’s Ashes To Disney
Despite the somber undertones, the family is determined to make the holiday memorable, bringing along her late daughter’s remains to share the joy and laughter she once brought to their lives.
The festive journey includes the family’s matriarch, Alana “Honey Boo Boo,” Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird and her family, as well as the late 29-year-old’s first daughter, Kaitlyn.
While an invite was extended to Cardwell’s ex-husband, Michael, for their shared child, Kylee, the family awaits confirmation on her attendance. Even though her physical presence will be absent, Kaitlyn will carry a piece of her mother close to her heart, wearing a necklace containing some of Cardwell’s ashes.
TMZ sources revealed that the family had discussed and planned this holiday getaway with the TV personality before her passing, solidifying their commitment to creating lasting memories in her honor.
The family rented a house in the vicinity, intending to spend the week together, enveloped in the magic of Disney and the warmth of familial love. In a symbolic gesture, they planned to bring a small urn containing the mother-of-two’s ashes to the rental house, providing a sense of her presence during this emotionally charged holiday season.
Cardwell’s final wish, expressed before her untimely demise, was to gift her children iPads. The family reportedly fulfilled this wish, ensuring that her love and intentions endure even in her absence.
Before her untimely departure from stage 4 adrenal carcinoma, her husband, Eldridge Toney, shared that her dying wish centered around their two daughters — Kaitlyn Elizabeth and Kylee Madison.
Reflecting on the emotional moments leading up to his late partner’s departure, Toney shared, “The day before she passed, we had our talk and said our goodbyes. Her dying wish was for her girls to grow up knowing who their mother was. I promised I would do right by the girls always. I will spend my life doing right by Anna and the girls.”
During this heart-wrenching conversation, the couple was not alone; surrounded by family on Kylee’s eighth birthday, the atmosphere was both joyous and sad.
Sisters Jessica “Chubbs” Shannon, Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson, and Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird, along with their mother, came together to support Cardwell and each other. As she took her final breath, Toney stood by her side, providing comfort and reassurance.
“Everyone was crying and freaking out because we all knew what was happening. I did my best to be calm for her. I rubbed my hands through her hair, held her hand, and told her it was going to be OK. I was holding her hand when she took her final breath,” he recalled
Legal Battle Unfolds As Mama June Faces Custody Challenge Over Late Daughter’s Child
Amid her mourning period, Mama June found herself entangled in a legal dispute with her late daughter’s ex-husband revolving around custody of her first grandchild Kaitlyn.
Michael, who already has full custody of his biological daughter Kylee, argued in the lawsuit filed in a Georgia court that he had played a crucial and consistent role in the pre-teen’s life.
According to court documents, he claimed to have “engaged in consistent caretaking of the child and established a bonded and dependent relationship with the child” in Kaitlyn’s upbringing, encouraged by his late ex-wife.
Michael asserted that he shouldered responsibilities, including paying the 11-year-old’s school tuition, highlighting his ongoing commitment to her well-being.
In a subtle jab at Mama June’s parenting, he questioned her fitness for custody, citing Cardwell’s tumultuous relationship with her mother and periods of estrangement.
Detailing the late star’s upbringing primarily under her maternal grandmother’s care in Griffin, Georgia, Michael also noted that Mama June’s presence in Kaitlyn’s life was inconsistent.
He argued that he was the “only living person that has shown a constant and continuous interest in the child’s minor child’s well-being, and being in the custody of the petitioner will be in the child’s best interest.”