Lydia Hartman

Lydia Hartman
February 3, 2013-November 21, 2025

There are people you meet along the way who influence you in subtle ways and then retreat to the vague recesses of your mind, never taking up too much time or space as you go on about the business of living the rest of your life.

Lydia Lynette-Hope Hartman was certainly not one of those people.

There was nothing subtle about Lydia. She’d come crashing into your orbit like a turbo-powered wrecking ball of chaos and glitter and your life would never, ever be the same. She changed people. She changed policies. She made the world better.

Lydia was born on February 3, 2013, and left this world behind on November 21, 2025. Her life was not an easy one, and she learned to be brave and strong from a very young age. She was a complex, many-layered survivor. She persevered with pure sass and grit, and possibly at times purely out of spite. She was fiercely independent and often seemed more like 52 than 12. She was so wise beyond her few years and could be one incredibly tough little nut to crack. When she felt safe enough to let you in, though, it felt like a wave of summer sunshine exploding inside your soul. She was like that--- she made you feel. She required authenticity. She asked hard questions and demanded truthful answers. She never settled for ordinary or easy. She drew you in and never let you go.

Lydia commanded the attention of every room she ever entered. She unapologetically took up space and expected nothing less than the complete admiration and devotion of those around her. Lucky for her, she was absolutely hilarious and impossibly cute, so admiration and adoration came easy. Every day was "Lydia Day." Every day was a purple princess party. Despite her royal status, Lydia cared deeply for those around her. She assigned nicknames that stuck forever. She asked about everyone’s friends and family because she legitimately cared for and wanted the best for everyone. She gave the very best "huggie-wuggies" to those she loved. She was sarcastic, witty, and opinionated, and she was absolutely never--not even once in her whole entire life--at a loss for words.

It would be impossible to list all the people Lydia is survived by. In each of the seasons of her life she has been loved abundantly by those lucky enough to be in her orbit. Lydia’s village was as dynamic and mighty as she was, and we are eternally grateful for all the love and care that each and every one poured into Her Majesty the Princess along her journey. You were all her home, you were her family, and you mattered so much to her and for her. Lydia also leaves behind her large and incredibly diverse army of stuffed animals, unicorns, ponies, dolls, Smiling Critters, and Nightmare Critters that were her most prized possessions and her constant companions. Each gift was a treasured token of love.

We will not despair that Lydia is finally free of the pain and challenges she faced, but, oh how we will mourn a world without her in it! Our lives were richer and more colorful for the time we got to spend with her. We will see her in every rainbow. We will hear her loud, raspy voice singing every time we hear her favorite songs on the radio. We’ll remember that laugh and the mischievous twinkle in her eye. We’ll shed tears over every little unexpected wink she'll send us through rhinestone barrettes; butterfly stickers stuck on surfaces where there should absolutely not be butterfly stickers, dried smears of nail polish on the floor, and the occasional disembodied doll head found stuck haphazardly in the back of a drawer. We’ll retell our favorite Lydia stories and laugh until we cry--like the time she asked, “Is Dr. Dre a real doctor or just a nurse practitioner?” We’ll take her and all our precious memories with us everywhere we go until we join her in the beyond. She will never leave us. Oh, sweet Lydia. We will never, ever forget you.

Moving forward from this devastating time, we will appreciate that Lydia's life was short but not small. We will cherish getting to be a part of the family Lydia built. We will honor her legacy. But, for now, oh, how we will miss her and all the extra giggle sprinkles and drama confetti she brought to the everyday.

Lydia earthly body will be laid to rest at Heritage Funeral Home and Cemetery in Columbia, TN, on January 14, 2026, at 2pm. We ask that everyone wear something purple in her memory as we say our final goodbyes.