Family Creates Scholarship to Honor 8-Year-Old's Legacy

When Ava Grace Felps passed away in 2025 at just 8 years old, her family wanted to ensure her joyful spirit would continue touching lives for generations to come.

Three Rivers College and the Three Rivers Endowment Trust announced the Ava Grace Memorial Scholarship, which will award its first grants to early childhood development students this fall 2026. Her grandmother Malissa Timbush and parents Michele and Brandon Felps created the endowed fund to honor the little girl who "never met a stranger, only friends she hadn't made yet."

Ava Grace spent her short life playing softball, chasing butterflies, and filling every room with laughter. Her mother describes her as someone who loved without limits, guided by unwavering faith and a gentle spirit that made everyone feel welcome.

The scholarship specifically supports students pursuing degrees in early childhood development, a fitting tribute to a child who brought so much light to everyone around her. These future teachers will carry forward Ava Grace's legacy of kindness and joy into countless classrooms.

The family established an endowed fund, which means the scholarship will continue awarding students perpetually. They plan to keep fundraising to increase the annual award amounts, allowing even more students to benefit over time.

Sunny's Take

This story captures what makes memorial scholarships so powerful. Instead of letting grief become the final chapter, the Felps family is writing new ones filled with hope and opportunity.

Every student who receives this scholarship will learn about the 8-year-old girl whose love for life inspired their education. Those future teachers will then shape thousands of young children, creating an endless ripple of Ava Grace's warmth and kindness.

Three Rivers College students receive more than $14 million in financial aid annually, helping make higher education accessible throughout Southeast Missouri. This new scholarship adds something special to that support: a reminder that education isn't just about careers, but about carrying forward the best parts of humanity.

Michele Felps said it best when describing her daughter as "a spark of heaven among us." Through this scholarship, that spark will continue lighting the way for educators who dedicate their lives to nurturing young minds.