Mia G. Shand, 9, of Canton, Conn., died Sept. 20 at her home after a nine-month battle with cancer.
Born Jan. 24, 2000, in Kazakhstan and adopted on July 7 of that same year, she was the daughter of John J. Shand and Penny Phillips.
Mia enjoyed science and nature and especially loved visiting the Roaring Brook Nature Center in her hometown. Besides her parents, she is survived by her sister, Ella Shand, of Canton, Conn.; her paternal grandmother, Joan Shand, of Dearborn Heights, Mich.; her maternal grandparents, Elaine and Jack Phillips, of Braintree; her aunts and uncles, Mark and Patricia Lecznar, of Grosse Point Woods, Mich., Celeste Phillips, of Sausalito, Calif., Tom and Laura Maddock, of Massapequa Park, N.Y., Ed and Marcy McGourty, of Milton, and Michael and Dody Timpone, of Summit, N.J.; her cousins, Phil, Ali, Scott, Jessica, Joshua, Jack, Molly, Liam, Caitlyn, Matt, Sarah and Emma; and her mentor and best friend, Pamela Beach, of Collinsville, Conn.
A memorial service was held Oct. 3 at the Unitarian Universalist Church in West Hartford, Conn.
Donations toward a permanent memorial on the grounds of Roaring Brook Nature Center may be made to the Roaring Brook Nature Center, 70 Gracey Road, Canton, CT 06019.