Best friend, soulmate, extraordinary mother
Cassie, with her stunning green eyes and brilliant, creative soul, stood apart from the crowd. Her gregariousness and generosity benefitted so many, including those at Iowa’s Bidwell Riverside Center and the students at a local elementary school. A talented cook, artist, and aspiring massage therapist, Cassie dreamt of producing massage oils and lotions, of buying an old plantation home, and of travel. In her thirty-four years, she brought two children, Adrian, and Mila, into the world, imbuing them with imagination and enduring memories. At the center of her existence was the desire to do good, to be the candle that lit the path for others, and to prove the value of resourcefulness and dedication.
Charity, friendship, animal welfare, and family were Cassie’s greatest inspirations. The last dollars in her pocket were spent on her nieces and nephews. She rarely said no to adventures with loved ones. Abandoned bunnies were safe in her arms, and Christmas celebrations and traditions were so much more special with her there. Cassie made lifelong friends as well, including Belinda, who shared in the highs and lows of growing up. Sisters Mellissa and Sydney, as well as their children, remember the day trips, TV shows they watched together, and the inside jokes that so frequently delighted them. Her big-heartedness shone in every encounter, and as Mellissa states, “No matter how down and out she was, she was always trying to help somebody else.”
Never wanting to burden others, Cassie hid the truth from her family for years. She kept up appearances, maintaining neatness, a face of makeup, and her outward loves of music and concerts, while battling misuse of pain medications and addiction to methamphetamines. As the substance use disorder continued, Cassie began to lose the things she loved most. Despite this, she was determined to succeed, to reattain, and to start anew. She was committed to overcoming the trauma buried within. According to Mellissa, “The year before she died was amazing. She had reconnected with her kids and family. She had a job and was [well].” Unfortunately, a single relapse turned into binges that sidelined progress.
When Cassie’s candle burned out, when the worlds of those who loved her the most were plunged into darkness, the depth of grief was inconceivable. Time has weathered away the initial hurt and redirected the focus onto helping others, as Cassie would’ve no doubt wanted. “You don’t mourn for the past anymore. You mourn for the present and the future and everything that they’re going to miss out on and everything that you could have done with them, but you never got the opportunity to,” Mellissa confesses.
In memory of Cassie, her luminosity, and her spirit, the family, friends, and children she left behind endeavor to spread awareness so that some good can come from the pain.
Cassie’s sister, Mellissa Hall, provided the information for this narrative.
December 15, 1984-January 23, 2019 – Age 34
Portrait Artist: Cecil Norris
Narrative Writer: Jill Denton
