Anna Kepner’s Family Memorializes Teen Found Dead on Carnival Cruise

Anna Kepner‘s family is remembering the teen cheerleader as a radiant soul who “lived every day with her whole heart,” following the tragic discovery of her body on a Carnival cruise ship.

Anna — nicknamed “Anna Banana” — was reportedly found by a maid wrapped in a blanket and hidden under a bed on November 8 during a Caribbean cruise with her father, Christopher Kepner, her stepmother Shauntel Hudson, and Hudson’s kids.

Despite the tragedy, Anna’s family focused their tribute on her joyful, light-filled life. “She loved the sun, the water, boat days, island days, and beach days, anything that let her soak in the light she so easily radiated to others,” her obituary reads.

“She never had a filter, and that was part of her charm,” they added. “She had a big, beautiful heart, often sending random ‘I love you’ messages or little gestures that made someone’s day.”

Anna had “big dreams for her future,” including plans to join the U.S. Navy and eventually become a K9 police officer. A devout Christian who was baptized in May, her family takes comfort “in knowing she is now in heaven, laughing, being the center of attention, and enjoying fries with ranch … just as she loved here on Earth.”

A celebration of life is scheduled for Thursday in her Florida hometown. Those attending her funeral are asked not to wear black, but to celebrate her life with colors, especially blue, to honor her “bright and beautiful soul.”

“Remember Anna with laughter, color, sunshine, and love. Because that’s exactly how she lived her life,” the family wrote. “She danced in the light she left behind and it will never fade.”