Three days before she turned 9, Raeleigh Mae Guzman’s great-grandfather and namesake, Raleigh May, 67, died. She now begins to explore life without her best friend and hero.

Raleigh was a Vietnam veteran who received multiple service accolades including an Army Commendation Medal and Bronze Star. The day after he retired, he and his wife, Patsy, moved to Mountain Grove, MO, to be equidistant to both sides of their family. They served their new community together for nearly two decades with the Wright County Sheriff’s Office.

“The sun rose and set on that little girl,” said her mother, Ninfa Guzman, 27, “that little girl was his world. He would never tell anyone, but she was his favorite.”