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WATKINSVILLE, Ga. — A Georgia toddler may not remember much about her late father, but with the help of her grandparents, she’s found a special way to honor his memory.
Taliya Thomas was just 8 months old when her father, Deputy Sheriff Cruz Thomas, was killed in a car crash while on duty, Today reported. Taliya recently celebrated her third birthday, and her grandparents decided to mark the milestone with a photo shoot of the birthday girl wearing her late father’s uniform.
In one of the photos — which have now gone viral — Taliya is seen kneeling next to her dad’s hat and badge, praying.
“Her grandmother said let’s pray today for the victims of 9/11, for the police officers, for your daddy,” photographer Mary Lee told Today. “Of course, I always have my camera in hand, so when she squatted down to pray, I took the picture. She was in real prayer at the time.”
Lee posted several of the moving photos — one of which shows Taliya clutching one of the last photos taken of her with her father — to her Facebook page. Thousands have been inspired by the tribute.
Lee told Fox 5 News that they had an unexpected visitor throughout the photo shoot — a yellow butterfly that never left Taliya’s side.
“She said, ‘That’s my daddy sending me butterfly kisses from heaven for my birthday,’” Lee said. “She is such a smart little girl.”
Cruz Thomas, 26, was in pursuit of a traffic violator when his cruiser crashed back in May 2014. Law enforcement ran in his blood — his father, Stevie Thomas, is the sheriff of Franklin County, Georgia.
Taliya’s grandparents — who share custody with her mother — make it a point to involve her father in major milestones of her life — reminders that he is always with her.
“To be so young, she understands her daddy is in heaven,” Lee told Fox 5. “She knows he watches over her.”
