The passing of our best friend Lillianna Cawthron was something that really made us take a step back and think about how we take things for granted everyday. Lillianna was always grateful and never took anything for granted. To honor her today, we asked some of her closest friends, teachers, and faculty about how much she meant to them.

The two questions that were asked were…

“What was your favorite memory with Lilli?”

“If you could describe Lilli in one word what would it be?”

Hanna Carroll 

“I have so many memories, but one that sticks out to me the most is when Lilli and I went skiing. Both of our families went to Loon Mountain together. We skied the entire day. One time going up the ski lift Lilli dropped her phone so we went down a part of the mountain that wasn’t skiable, but it was so funny. Then before we left we were sitting at a table and she wanted me to look for all the gingers with her. Initially that was going to be the end of our day, but we were able to convince our parents to have a sleepover. After getting home we went to her house and it was one of the funniest days of my life. Lilli so effortlessly made someone’s day better, and I hope she knew that. I always wanted to be around her. Even seeing her at work for two minutes made my day better.”

“Remarkable, Lilli was a person that deserved every positive thing in life. She never made someone feel like they were not worthy of an amazing friend. And that’s what I got. A person in my life that I could trust with anything. She would never forget you or put you down. She had a mission in life to make whoever was in front of her laugh, and she never struggled with that. I’m so grateful that I had a remarkable best friend, and the time that we shared together.”

Lizzie Sosa

“It’s hard for me to choose one memory that was my absolute favorite. We had some really funny memories, but Lillianna also helped me get through some of my darkest times. One of my fondest memories with Lilli was from freshman year. I was dealing with a lot of problems with my mental health, and she could tell that I was not doing well. I was not having the best time at school and so she asked me to go over to her house so that we could talk about it. She was the only person that encouraged me to reach out to someone to get help. I didn’t know it back then, but I really needed that. What I love about her is that no matter what she was struggling with in her life, she would always take the time to make sure her friends were okay.” 

“Loving, Lillianna would never ever judge a book by its cover. She was always nice to everyone she encountered even if she didn’t really like them, which is something I admire about her a lot. She also made everyone in her life feel so loved. She loved hugs and she always made sure to tell her friends that she loved and appreciated them.”

Emi Smith

“My favorite memory with Lilli was last year after my first semester at college I had been scheduled to work over winter break, I walked into work and Lilli ran up to me and gave me the biggest hug I have ever gotten. I remember feeling so loved because I felt like it was the most excited anyone’s ever been to see me and I had missed her a lot at college.”

“Thoughtful, she was always very concerned about how I was feeling and there were often times where she’d drop what she was doing to help me with things whether at work or at practice.”

Malia Sivigny

“Dancing together in the pouring rain, running around her neighborhood blasting music.”

“Vibrant, her energy, spirit, and presence has made a lasting impact on me. She had an infectious laugh and vibe that drew everyone in.”

Emily Hoyt

“One memory I love about Lilli is that when we had a sleepover and shared the extra bedroom together, she made me laugh so hard until we fell asleep.”

“Hilarious, every time I would be with her she would make me laugh about something new or the same old topics we would always talk about.”

Meara Horan

“It was hard to choose a favorite memory of Lillianna because she honestly gave me so many amazing, funny and happy memories as a friend. One of my favorite memories  with her was in 4th or 5th grade. At lunch, Lilli and I always had our lunch staples. She would have pasta salad with italian dressing and I’d have baby bell cheese. We’d always swap foods mainly because she wanted to make little “mice” out of the baby bell wax wrappers. She’d use half of it to be the body then peel to be the tail and she’d cut up the other pieces to be the eyes and legs. After lunch we would sneak them back and slowly start to build a collection in my desk. There was one day where my desk was so full of them that a couple fell out when I reached into my desk. This was when our teacher called me out and asked what was all over the floor. Lilli and I started dying laughing and could barely explain the weird things that we had decided to collect. I think that sums her up as a person. She brought joy and laughter into every situation and I will never forget the joy she gave me. I’m proud to have met her and grown up with her because she was my first real friend and that will never change. Her friendship is one I will always cherish and can never be replaced.”

“Selfless, In every situation she was always there when I needed her the most. She was my biggest support and comfort, personally staging with me and distracting me from nerves at meets and giving the best hugs. She would always put others before herself and was the light in every room.”

Linsey Gregoire

“One of my favorite memories with Lilli was when we did middle school cross country together. We would always run together at practice, especially on long runs, but we never fully ended up running. We would go off into the woods to walk, talk, and eat apples and enjoy our little bit of freedom.”

“Vibrant, Lilli was always trying to get everyone around her to laugh and smile. She went after whatever she wanted and was one of the most lively people I knew. Her energy never failed to light up every corner of a room.”

Julianne Swisher

“I loved going to the Lumineers concert with her, we had so much fun and so much laughter the whole time.”

“Vivacious, she always brought up others and made others smile.”

Kayla Morrow

“One memory is every time I slept over at her house we’d go on late night around her neighborhood then make a late night grilled cheese before bed.”

“Sweet, she was always so nice no matter what and always made sure I wasn’t left out of anything.”

Morgan Laczynski

“One memory I love about Lilli was when we met for the first time. It was the first day of elementary school and I was so beyond nervous. I was on the bus and sitting with myself, until I saw this short, curly haired girl get onto the bus. She looked at me, and sat down. I love this memory because it was the start to our friendship, and many memories to come.”

“Outgoing, Lil was never afraid to be herself in any situation, and that’s one thing I love about her. If it was quiet, Lil would make it loud. If it was a sad moment Lil would make it positive. Lil was always the one to brighten up any room.”

Meg Carroll 

“I cannot choose only one memory about Lilly that I love, but what I can say is she was one of a kind. She was the craziest, goofiest, strongest, and most out of this world person I have ever met. She would always find a way to make me laugh. She was the kind of person who would start falling to the ground laughing because of the most random things. Sometimes there wasn’t even a reason, and she would start laughing, and that would make everyone else laugh too. Her energy was contagious. If you were having a bad day, she would know whether it was the kind that needed some laughter and cheering up, or if it was the kind where you just needed a shoulder to cry on, or someone to rant to. I don’t think I have ever met someone so unapologetically fearless; I don’t think anyone has. She was never afraid to be herself, and that was something that had always been an inspiration to me. Whenever I heard her name I immediately thought how unapologetically fearless she is, among many other things. If I said everything I love about Lilly this would be longer than the dictionary. For those of you who knew Lilly, you know what I am talking about. In a world of rocks, she was a shining diamond. I love her, I always have, always will.”

“Extraordinary, though it is very difficult to describe such an amazing person using a single word, I would say extraordinary is definitely what Lilly was.”

Grace Hinkle

“The one memory that comes to my mind when I think of Lillianna is when we went camping with her family. This is a very important memory for me because that was the moment our friendship grew stronger and the moment that I knew that she was my best friend. Her family made me feel comfortable and loved more than anything and I felt at home whenever I was with them. The main moment that pops up was when we were on the hammock together and shared laughs together and I would kill just to hear her laugh again.”

“Brave, no matter what issue came her way she was ready to fight it, kind hearted, she always cared about everyone around her and made sure that they felt loved. She was affectionate, she made everyone around her feel like they were worthwhile, she was considerate, amiable, ambitious and she had such a beautiful soul that everyone loved her,”

Alissa Haradon

“My favorite memory that Lillianna and I got to share was our weekly sleepovers. Almost every Friday night we got to have a sleepover after work.”

“Fire, Lillianna lights up every room that she walks into just like a flame lights out a fireplace.”

Lindsey Smith

“One of my favorite memories was the long walks we would go on during cross country in middle school talking about our coach and other things.”

“Joy.”

Leah Griffin

“A memory I have of Lilli is this one time we had a sleepover and just sat on her front step in front of her house and just talked for hours then we watched tangled.”

“Outgoing, she just always knew how to make any room brighter and put a smile on everyone’s face.”

Maggie Roy

“One memory with Lilli that I loved  was spending band camp with her. It was fun to be surrounded by all of our friends enjoying the summer and doing fun activities together.”

“Happy, Lilli was always happy. She always had a smile on her face and she was always laughing.”

Cassidy Leblanc

“My favorite memory of Lilli is one that I will hold close forever. I slept over at her house one day in the summer and we stayed up all night laughing and talking. She was so easy to talk to, making it impossible to end a conversation. That is something I will never complain about. The next morning we woke up to go on a hike. We talked the whole way up the peak. At the top, we sat down and just looked out into the distance in a comfortable silence. “I’m so happy you came with us, you’re the best.” she said. She never failed to put a smile on my face by saying the smallest things. That hike is something  I am so grateful for. We spent hours together just talking with no phones, no distractions. Just nature.”

“Unforgettable, I have so many memories big and small that I will hold onto forever. She taught me life lessons without even knowing it and showed me it’s okay to be myself no matter what. She always did all she could to include everyone, because she always wished happiness upon every person around her. I’m forever grateful that I got to be a part of her life. The time I spent with her is something I will never take for granted. I’ll forever hold the memories and her presence close. I would do anything to have one last conversation with her.”

Griffin Massahos

“It’s so hard to choose a certain memory with her because there’s so many that me and Lilli shared, like making cookies or when we went to Maine for the day with her family. My favorite though is when we would do face masks together. It always made her happy when I finally caved in and that always made me happy.”

“Energetic, she always had this positive energy everywhere she went and it was never a dull moment with her. She never failed to make people happy or laugh.”

Liv Awad

“I have so many amazing memories with Lilli. She always had a big smile on her face and turned every bad situation into good. One of my favorite memories was when we went to Friendly’s on the last day of school with her mom and sisters. I have never laughed more in my life. While we ate our massive sundaes there was a guy who kept looking at us so we stared back with crazy faces until he turned around. There was also a cute guy working so we “went to the bathroom” so that when we came back we could record pretending we were on the phone.”

“Confident, she walks into any room with her head up and ready to talk to anyone and everyone. I don’t know how someone couldn’t like Lilli. Her happiness is contagious and I would do anything to be more like her.”

Kyra Courtemanche

“One of my favorite memories with Lilli would have to be walking around the track everyday before practice during our freshman year. We would go outside about 20 minutes before everyone else so we could just talk and it was the best part of my day.”

“Energetic, she always hated sitting still for long periods of time, so she asked me to go for walks with her almost every day. During our sophomore year, she walked with me to my math class, and she always ran up to me, and sometimes even jumped into my arms to give me a hug. Even if she was exhausted, she somehow managed to have more energy than anyone I’ve ever met. That was something that always impressed me about her.”

Laina Tremonte

“My favorite memory is probably when my dad, sister,  Lilli and I went on a ski trip to Mad River Glen in Vermont. We drove up together and stayed at the Mad Barn where we shared a bunk bed and had a great time. We were still in elementary school at the time, and I loved skiing together. That trip remains one of my fondest memories with her.”

“Spunky, she always had such an outgoing, lively personality, and it was one of my favorite things about her. She never failed to make me laugh with her jokes and witty side comments.”

Suzanne Johnson

“Geez it is so hard to pick one memory. There are so many. There was the time as a freshman she was bold enough to challenge a senior captain to a competition in the weight room and she came really close to beating her. She was so competitive. But she also had a softer side that resonates with me still. I can picture her talking with me very proudly and excited about coaching younger girls on her mom’s lacrosse teams. Those little girls were so lucky to have her. But if I must pick just one memory it would be her smile. Lilli’s smile was more than just something that would light up a room. It was a beacon of warmth and happiness that could light up the night sky. Lilli shared that smile so often, and every time she did she disrupted whatever mood existed and brought whoever was around her joy. That is one memory she left me I will cherish forever.”

“Big, when Lilli was in the room or on the bus or on the track, she had a big presence. Lilli had big plans and big dreams. She loved, loved, loved being a big sister. Her heart was very big and had room for so many friends. We shared a big love for animals. She loved a big adventure like squeezing into a cardboard box we found in the hallway so she and a friend could see if they would both fit inside. When she cheered for her teammates, a great big voice came out of her to spur them on. A very good coach, Lilli played a big role for us in helping other athletes learn to hurdle and race in the relay. When she was giggly or enjoying a big belly laugh, her eyes would grow very big and match her very big, brilliant smile. Lilli was big on making sure she would always acknowledge me saying hello and chatting whenever we saw each other in the hallways. That made me feel big. Lilli made a big difference in so many lives.

Laurie MacInnis

“Lilli would come see me EVERY afternoon before the start of her adult ed classes. I looked forward every afternoon to seeing her blast through the doors to House 3 and make a beeline straight to the candy dish I have on my desk. She was always on the hunt for all the Hershey kisses I had in the bowl. Chocolate was the fuel to get her primed and ready for class and to soothe away the craziness from her afternoon at work. Even though she would load up on kisses to start her first class, one trip to the candy bowl was never enough for Lil… as soon as her first supply ran out, she would come zipping back into the office in search of another round. Searching through the bowl for as many chocolates as possible was a mission for Lilli but I looked forward to the time I would get to spend with her chatting about her work day, the plans she had for an upcoming weekend, getting all the details on the latest drama, and my favorite, listening to her excitedly share when she had a new job opportunity or she felt like she had made some decisions about the direction she wanted to move in for the future. I know people say things like “she was a bright light” so often after we lose someone too soon, but that is truly the case with Lilli. Even when she was having a day, she always had her sparkle. She always had a smile and a giggle to share. I loved her energy, her enthusiasm, and her spunky attitude.”

“Feisty, if I had to sum Lilli up in one word. In the best possible way. Lilli and her energy are deeply missed.”

Kathrine Buell

“There are too many memories that I have with Lillianna to choose just one. I loved that whenever I saw her, I knew she would bring spunkiness, sass, and humor with a little bit of extra energy!”

“Love, she loves hard and those she loved knew how much she loved them, and she is loved just as much.”

Katlin Burkhardt

“I will always cherish the memories of Lilli stopping by the office every day on her way to class. She greeted us with her infectious smile and fun-loving energy-the perfect way to start the afternoon!”

“Vibrant, she radiated enthusiasm, joy, and a bright, lively energy through her actions and interactions.”

Emily Standbridge

“Lilli always had a knack for creating fun no matter the situation. One practice during a break in sprint repeats, she had the idea to see if she could fit herself into a box used to collect winter coat donations. This brought the entire team together and nobody could contain their laughter.”

“Spunky, Lilli always had a quick wit about her, and you never knew what she would say, but you were always certain it could make you laugh.”

Mary Dewinkeleer

“I loved having Lilly in Freshman Humanities. She was always such a bright light in the room with her sassy comments and funny personality. She was an old soul who always had an interesting way of looking at things. She brought so much to our class. A cool moment was when she and Lizzie won our Humanities Games at the end of Greek Week. All the other groups had 3-4 people in their groups, and I was worried because one of their group members didn’t show up that day, and I thought they’d be at a disadvantage. But Lizzie and Lilly were rock stars that day and won the whole thing! I love the smile on Lilly’s face in the photo of them on the day they won Humanities Games. Actually, I loved all her smiles and all her sass. She was just beautiful both inside and out.  I feel fortunate that I got to know such an amazing person like Lilly, and I will truly miss her.”

“Bold, she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind or show courage in difficult situations. With her humor, intelligence and adventurous spirit, she boldly persevered no matter what obstacles came her way.”