Stella Marie Liberto

Cary - Stella Marie Liberto, daughter of Jeff and Jenna Liberto, passed away at home on Tuesday morning, February 4, 2014. Stella was born on October 20, 2013. She came out fighting, weighing just 1 lb. 5 oz. In her short time here, Stella faced and overcame challenge after challenge - at every turn, she was a source of hope and inspiration to everyone who met her or heard her story. She spent nearly three months in the care of the UNC Hospitals NCCU stealing the hearts of nurses, doctors, and her family before coming home on January 16, 2014. We are amazed and thankful for the love and joy she brought into our lives in just a few months. Stella is survived by her younger, but bigger, twin brother Carter. She is also survived by her parents; her maternal grandparents, Steve and Alta Whitt; paternal grandparents, John and Sandra Liberto; her aunts and uncles, Jacqueline Whitt, Lauren and Jason Butler, Jessica and Joshua Breazeale; cousins, Jacob and Josiah Breazeale; and others too numerous to name. “And though she be but little, she is fierce.” ~William Shakespeare< /p> A visitation will be held on Thursday, February 6, 2014 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Bryan-Lee Funeral Home, 831 Wake Forest Rd., Raleigh, NC 27604. A memorial service will be held on Friday, February 7, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. at Forest Hills Baptist Church, 201 Dixie Trail Raleigh, NC in the Sanctuary. Officiating will be Dr. Neil Westbrook, Mrs. Allison Lairmore, and Rev. Doug Thompson. To celebrate Stellas life, the family will be wearing colorful attire, and we invite our friends to do the same. In lieu of flowers the family would be pleased to have you send donations and memorials to The Medical Foundation of North Carolina, Inc. at 880 Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd., Chapel Hill, NC 27514 designated to the Neonatal Special Gift Fund #343805 or the Triangle Down Syndrome Network at www.triangledownsyndrome.org.