Elijah Michael McCarl

Elijah Michael McCarl passed away on October 30, 2023, at Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Missouri. A funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 4, 2023, at the Pierschbacher Funeral Home in Chariton, Iowa. Interment will take place at the Chariton Cemetery immediately following services. Elijah's family will greet family and friends from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, November 3, 2023, at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the family.

Elijah was born at Methodist Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa, on November 30, 2017, to Phillip and LaShelle (LaFee) McCarl. While the pregnancy was not without its struggles, Elijah entered this world as healthy and handsome as a parent could ever hope. Even though he tipped the scales at less than 5lbs, Elijah never spent a minute in the NICU after birth. Mom and dad were able to take him home on time to meet his siblings. His nurse at the hospital said, “Small but mighty Elijah with big things to do!”

At 18 months, Elijah was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Being the tough little guy he was, he showed no warning signs. While he did not have it easy, he only showed strength. Elijah lived life his own way, never letting his struggles get him down. He was always smiling and rarely cried. Elijah was truly a joy, whose smile could light up any room he entered. He left his mark in his brief time on Earth, inspiring all those who knew him.

Left to cherish Elijah’s memory are his parents, Phillip and LaShelle McCarl; brothers, Cody and Carter; sisters, Nicole and Emery; grandparents, Roger LaFee, Kathy (Terry) Smith, Steve McCarl, and Kathy Feigel; and many loving aunts and uncles.

He was preceded in death by his grandmother, Sharon LaFee; great-grandmother, Helen Wood; and Kenny Richard, who was like a grandfather to Elijah.

#mightyelijah