Naugatuck - Vanessa L. McDougall, 10, passed away on Friday, September 4, 2026, at St. Mary's Hospital.

Vanessa was born February 8, 2016, in Derby, the daughter of Cheyne McDougall and Crystal Pignataro. She was a student at Cross St. School.

Vanessa was a beautiful soul with a spirit entirely her own. She found joy and things that made her uniquely her. Her love for crystals, the color purple, dancing, swimming, and of course, making everyone laugh with her jokes, even the ones that didn’t always land the way she intended. Vanessa‘s life was far too short, but the love she left behind will never have an ending. She will live on in the songs that reminded us of her, the color purple, the sparkle of a crystal, the sound of laughter, and in every moment that somehow still feels like her.

She was here, she was loved, she mattered, she always will.

Besides her father and mother, Vanessa is survived by her stepmother, Jessica; her siblings, Leah McDougall, Lennox McDougall, Ashton McDougall, and Steven Zenko, Gabriella Riley, G’Ovanni Thompson, and Jonathan Padilla, as well as her many grandparents, aunts, cousins, uncles, and friends. She was predeceased by her grandmother, Kimberly Pignataro, and her great-grandmother, Jae “Gigi” Taylor.

Arrangements – Visitation will be held on Sunday, September 13, 2026, from 1 to 4 pm at the Buckmiller Ford Mengacci Funeral Home of Naugatuck, 82 Fairview Ave. A funeral service and burial will be held at the convenience of the family in Mountain Grove Cemetery, Bridgeport. Memorial contributions may be made to the GoFundMe page by clicking HERE.