Recalling Cassidy's joy, friends say goodbye

Hundreds attend memorial for Cassidy Pendley, who died in N.C. beach house fire

Beautiful smile, sparkling personality, selfless peacemaker. Loved the ocean and riding horses on the beach. Nearly six feet tall and gave great hugs. A heart big enough to fit the whole world inside.

Cassidy Fae Pendley, 18, of North Charleston was all those things and much more to family and friends who gathered by the hundreds to celebrate her life Monday during a memorial service.

Pendley was among seven South Carolina college students killed Oct. 28 when a fire erupted at a waterfront home in Ocean Isle Beach, N.C. She was a freshman at the University of South Carolina.

"We have not lost a life but rather we have gained an angel," said Melissa Cramer, a friend who spoke at the hour-long service to remember Pendley that was held at the Cathedral of Praise in North Charleston.

Dozens of members of the Delta Delta Delta sorority that Pendley had pledged arrived on chartered tour buses. Friends of the family drove from around the country to attend.

The service recalled the joy and happiness of Pendley's life and how she brought those same feelings to others. A larger-than-life slide show on three screens accompanied by instrumental music showed dozens of photos of her with pals and relatives.

People laughed and wiped away tears as they watched the parade of images. The photos included: Pendley as a baby, a toddler, a tomboy who loved to dig for worms and a lovely young woman in formal wear. Pendley chasing a soccer ball for her team and giving her all as a cheerleader for Fort Dorchester High School. Flashing that million-dollar grin while giving hugs. Hamming it up with eyes bugged out behind the wheel of a car.

"She looked for and saw the best in everyone," said her aunt, Ramita Bonadonna, who spoke at the memorial service. Pendley died on the 12th wedding anniversary of her aunt and uncle. "The celebration of our wedding anniversary will forever include Cassidy."

Bonadonna drew a parallel between the Comet Holmes, now visible in the northern sky in the constellation Perseus, and the memory of her niece.

The comet recently exploded and attracted the attention of astronomers worldwide.

"She is a being of light, exploding and very bright," Bonadonna said. "We can look to the sky and remember we are all a part of that same light."

The Rev. John Bosco Ikeme said the death of a person so young and beautiful, with the rest of her life ahead of her, is one of the most difficult tests of faith. It is natural to ask why such things happen. He urged the congregants to remember, "Today, death is not victorious. Everyone who believes is victorious."

Pendley was among six USC students who died in the blaze, which also claimed the life of a Clemson University student. Pendley was the only student from the Lowcountry. Her funeral arrangements were private.

The students had gathered to enjoy one of the season's last weekends of pleasant beach weather.

Six students from USC survived, including one who jumped from a window of the burning home and into an adjacent canal.

Officials said the investigation remains ongoing, focusing on how fast the fire spread through the home and if there were any other factors that contributed to the students' deaths. A final report on the investigation might not be complete for several weeks.

The fire so thoroughly destroyed the beach house that investigators might never know its cause, but officials speculated Friday that improperly discarded smoking materials might have sparked the blaze.

Reach Prentiss Findlay at 937-5711 or pfindlay@postand courier.com.