Sage Emi Fox

Our beautiful daughter, Sage Emi Fox, 13, of Springville and Lehi, Utah, passed away Friday, June 19, 2026. She was born October 24, 2012, in Provo, Utah, to Taylor Jay Fox and Courtney Haruka Ballard.

Sage was born with a rare condition called hydranencephaly, which meant that parts of her brain did not fully develop before she was born. We were told that she may not live long, or at all, after birth. We were blessed beyond what words can hold when Sage proved everyone wrong and gave us nearly fourteen of the most beautiful years of our lives.

Learning to care for Sage through such complicated and often very scary medical needs was challenging in many ways, but caring for our beautiful girl was never a burden.

We had to learn many new things, but through it all, Sage helped us with her patience, her peaceful nature, and her unconditional love. We worried constantly about her through countless hospital visits, doctors’ appointments, illnesses, changes in care, and occasional emergencies. But those challenges were not what defined Sage and they, in no way, defined our life with her.

Mostly, we smiled and laughed with her. Sage had the best, biggest, happiest smiles, and she gave them to us freely and without reservation.

Sage did have a harder time adjusting to life as a more irritable baby. We, as parents, grew many new back and arm muscles from constantly bouncing baby Sage to help keep her calm. A few months after birth, we learned that Sage needed a shunt to help manage fluid and pressure in her brain. After her shunt was placed, and as she became more used to life during her first year or so, Sage became the most happy and peaceful little girl. She rarely complained, even though there were many times when she would have been more than justified.

One of our happiest moments as Sage’s parents was when, as a baby, she once again proved her prognosis wrong and smiled at us for the first time at 9 months old. After that, she never stopped.

One of our favorite pictures of Sage is from when she first started having seizures and we took her to the emergency room to understand what was happening. In the picture, she is lying in a hospital bed with an I.V. in her chubby little arm with a big, happy smile on her face. That was Sage. Even in hard and scary moments, she still found ways to smile and was SO strong.

As a baby, Sage loved being bounced in her bouncer, and she loved being bounced and tossed in our arms for as long as we were able to keep doing it as she grew. She loved to dance, listen to music, watch movies and TV shows, have books read to her, be talked to, be wiggled around, and go on walks (as long as she was well-shaded in her stroller or wheelchair and did not have too much wind in her face ;)).

A guaranteed way to make Sage smile was when we blew high-pitched raspberries, yelled “woohoo,” and kissed her chubby cheeks.

She did not need words to make herself known. She spoke to us through her smiles, sounds, her looks, her little moods, the way she relaxed when she felt safe, and the way her whole face changed when she was happy. Sage had her own language, and we were so lucky we got to spend her life learning it. Being loved by someone so pure was one of the greatest honors of our lives.

Sage loved being around our family, pets, and friends, especially when there were other kids around. She loved hearing their little voices, laughter, screams, and the way they would come over to give her little kisses and hugs. She really lived for that.

Her younger siblings and many cousins were so lucky to have Sage’s sweet presence and spirit with them. It was obvious that they could tell Sage was special. They seemed especially drawn to her as toddlers, often approaching her on their own to hug and snuggle her, give her kisses, hold her hand or arm, rest their little hands on her, or climb up and lie down next to her. She was everyone's safe place.

Sage recently completed 7th grade, and she always enjoyed spending time with her classmates, friends, and teachers, who did so much for her and loved her dearly. Sage’s dogs, cats, and other pets also loved snuggling with her and being near her, which she loved in return.

Sage had a beautiful bond with animals. They seemed to flock to her and recognize something gentle in her. Even at the zoo, zebras, elephants, and other animals would turn and simply stare at her, as if they could feel what the rest of us felt too.

Sage was just special. The air around her always felt calm. She carried a kind of wholeness with her, a peacefulness that people and animals seemed to recognize when they were near her.

She made us parents, changed our hearts, and changed the entire course of our lives. Everything was different because of her, and everything was BETTER because she was ours.

We are heartbroken to not have our sweet Sage here with us anymore. She was the light of our lives, our purpose, and our reason for being. Nearly fourteen years went by much too quickly, but they were filled with enough love and joy to last a lifetime.

We are so thankful that Sage was loved by so many people throughout her life. We truly believe that all of the love poured out to her by so many people helped keep her here with us for as long as she was. We were SO lucky to have her; even luckier than we ever deserved.

We miss her more than words can express. Nothing in this world could ever hold a candle to the love we have for her. We love her now, forever, and always.

Sage is survived by her parents, Taylor Fox of Lehi, Utah, and Courtney Ballard of Springville, Utah; her stepmother, Bianca Fox; her two siblings, Lukas Fitton and Sofia Fox; her grandparents, David and Laurel Fox, and Bryan and Yuko Ballard; her aunts and uncles; and eighteen cousins.

She was preceded in death by eight great-grandparents, five of whom knew and loved her during her life. We know that they welcomed Sage with open arms and so much love and are keeping her safe until we are reunited with her again.

“You have my whole heart. You always did.”

A viewing for family and friends will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30, 2026 at Wheeler & Sundberg Funeral Homes, 211 East 200 south, Springville, Utah. Private family services will be held on a different date.

Condolences may be expressed to the family on this page.