A pink dress and white boots

JoAnn Hagen Bacon, mother of 6-year-old Charlotte Helen Bacon who was murdered Friday in the Newtown, Conn., massacre, attended Orono (Minn.)High and St. Cloud (Minn.) State University before moving to the woodsy New England community of Newtown because of her husband Joel’s job. JoAnn’s parents, John and Irene Hagen, now live in Nisswa, Minn. They and several other relatives are going to Connecticut for Tuesday’s visitation and Wednesday’s funeral service. Friday morning, JoAnn Bacon called her mother, informing her that her children's school was on lockdown and that she was heading over there. Charlotte and her older brother, 10-year-old Guy, attended Shady Hook Elementary School. On the day she died, Charlotte had her heart set on wearing a brand-new pink dress her mother had bought. Her mom did not want her to wear the dress quite yet but to save it for the holidays. But Charlotte insisted. So JoAnn combed Charlotte's curly hair into pigtails and fastened them with pink bows. “She looked so cute,” JoAnn told her mother. Now she is left with one of her last treasured images of Charlotte: joyful in her new pink dress and white boots. “I guess she was dressed to go live with Jesus,” her mother said.