Quitman Girl Dies after Collapsing on Church Playground

QUITMAN — A Quitman church family is in mourning after a well-known local 9-year-old girl collapsed on the church playground Wednesday night and later died. Ally Baker was taken to Children’s Medical Center in Dallas after collapsing on the playground at the First United Methodist Church in Quitman at about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. According to KETK, she died early Thursday morning. Doctors believe her death was caused by a brain aneurysm. However, that information will not be confirmed until an autopsy is conducted. According to the Longview News-Journal, Ally was the “Little Miss Dogwood Queen” in 2010 and served as an ambassador for the Quitman community.

Ally was a third-grader at Quitman ISD. Members of Quitman ISD’s faculty and staff have released the following statements:

“QISD is saddened at the loss of this precious little girl. Ally was a delight to be around. She was full of energy and always smiling. She will be greatly missed by her classmates, teachers, and many friends. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family”. – Rhonda Turner, Assistant Superintendent

“Her contagious laugh would always light up our classroom. We will miss her so much.” – Lisa Rust, 3rd grade Teacher

“Ally was a precious girl full of boundless energy. We will miss her giant smile and big hugs. She loved pink, her friends and this school. She was such a blessing to us.” – Mary Ann Nichols, Elementary Principal

Ally’s funeral is set for 2:00 Sunday afternoon at FUMC Quitman. A fund has been set up to help her family with medical and funeral costs. You can donate at any area City National Bank under the name Ally Baker.