Ariana Ku'u Anuenue Cole Obituary (1998

Ariana Ku’u Anuenue Cole passed away Tuesday, December 4th, 2018. She was born December 28, 1998 in Orem, Utah to Nathan and Suzanne Cole. She was the youngest of 3 children, and was a sophomore at Brigham Young University, studying Psychology and Women's Studies. Ari, as she was lovingly called, was and is the missing piece that made our family complete. She was such a happy baby and loved by all who knew her. That love for her followed her throughout her life, even as life got harder and her challenges became increasingly more intense. Those who were drawn closest to her never left her side, and some of her very best friends were those who had been her friend since early childhood. She brought out the best in people in the way she interacted with them and was mindful of what others might need. Whenever there was something she could do for someone else, she wouldn’t waste a lot of time stewing over whether or not to do it, she would just go and serve. Even as a child, she would write personal notes to her parents and siblings with reminders of her love or of little things she noticed and appreciated about each of us. With her, we were always looking for the joy in the journey. Ari was a girl with big dreams. Ever since she was a little child she loved to read books. They were her first love and constant companion, often borrowing her weight in books from the library and reading 5 or more every night; one day she wanted to own a bookstore where she could share all the books she has read and collected over the years (the number of which is not a few). Ari was also an avid sloth lover and always dreamed of going to Costa Rica to help at the sloth sanctuary. She loved to travel and experience new things as much as she could, whether that meant driving to a nearby town, or flying to Ghana and living with a family there for a month. Along with this love of and desire to travel, she dreamed of building her own tiny house—which she called her little hobbit home—and traveling across the country in it (on wheels, of course). Ari had the gift of nurturing, which manifest itself in the way she cared for a number of plants like bamboo and succulents. She took tiny, fragile plants with potential and helped them grow into bigger, stronger versions of themselves in ways that no one else could. She had so much love and tenderness for her animals too, whether they were pets or animals she worked with doing volunteer work. When she was a little girl, her favorite pastime was to visit Thanksgiving Point on daddy-daughter dates to ride ponies and drink chocolate milk, or just visit the farm animals. When she got older, she volunteered at Thanksgiving Point and worked with kids during special camps. She also loved the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center in Pleasant Grove, where she first visited, then volunteered, and eventually worked. She enjoyed the excitement and creativity of the program. In all things she was an outside-the-box thinker, and she advocated for those that were misunderstood or underrepresented. Although she may not have always admitted it, she was good with children, and she had a special place in her heart for her baby nephew, who always brought a smile to her face. Throughout her life, she was happiest when all the family was together, and she was blessed to be surrounded by her loving family as she left this world. We will dearly miss our special daughter, sister, granddaughter, auntie, cousin, and friend. Ari is survived by her parents, Nathan and Suzanne; her siblings, Tiana (James) Ahuna and Kaika (Claudia) Cole; and her sweetie nephew, Caleb. We are grateful for all those who have helped her and our family, especially at this time. We take comfort in knowing that her organ donations will help others spend more precious time with their loved ones this holiday season, and we have hope in and through our Savior, Jesus Christ, and His atonement. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, December 8, 2018 at the Cherry Hill 4th Ward Chapel, 1700 South 400 East, Orem, Utah. Friends may call from 9-9:40 a.m. prior to services. Interment, Orem City Cemetery. Condolences may be expressed at www.bergmortuary.com.