Jessica Foshee
Jessica Foshee's favorite Bible verse was 1 Thessalonians 5:16: "Be joyful always."
She lived out those words every day of her life, according to her friend and sorority sister Lauren Wetzel.
"From the time I met her freshman year to the time I dropped her off at her apartment when we got home from spring break, she always had the most beautiful smile plastered on her face," Wetzel said. "Jessica was a perfect friend and a model example of joy."
Foshee, junior in history and member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority, died Saturday night from acute cardiac failure at her boyfriend's residence on DeKalb Street.
A postmortem examination showed the cardiac failure was because of a congenital heart disease, according to the coroner's office.
"She was born with holes in her heart, and she had surgery when she was really little to reroute some stuff so that her heartbeat and blood flow wouldn't be disrupted by the holes," said Mary Lenoir, Foshee's "little sister" in the sorority. "She had lung problems, too, and her condition made her not able to do a lot of cardio activity.
"The last that I had heard of it, everything had been pretty normal. Nothing had been disrupted. She had to go see a doctor every six months to check on it."
Foshee, 20, was from Roswell, Ga.
She and Wetzel worked together at the Foy Information Desk in the Student Center.
"Working with her felt like getting paid just to hang out," Wetzel said.
Foshee had also participated in IMPACT, Project Uplift and Tiger Tuesdays.
More than anything, she loved her sorority, Lenoir said.
"Even though she never had an exec office or anything, everyone knew who she was," Lenoir said.
Foshee and her boyfriend, Troy Braswell, had been dating for almost a year.
"She had a smile that could light up a room and was one of the most passionate people I have ever met," Braswell said. "She was full of love, and her heart was so pure."
Lenoir said one of Foshee's greatest qualities was her selflessness.
"When she would describe a situation, she wouldn't describe how it would affect her--she would describe how it would affect other people," Lenoir said.
"I think that's why she had so many friends--because she really was super caring."
Foshee had a close, loving relationship with her sister and parents, Lenoir said.
"Even if you didn't know her for very long, she had this ability of making you feel like you were her best friend," she said. "Even if you just had a class with her or you saw her on the concourse every day, she would make you feel like you had known each other since preschool."
The funeral will take place at 2 p.m. Friday at St. David's Episcopal Church in Roswell.
"She touched so many lives in a way only she could," Wetzel said. "And I'm so blessed and thankful to have spent the past three years, and her last week, right by her side."
Mary Beth Goodner
Early in the morning of March 17, the Auburn family lost a beloved daughter, sister, friend, volunteer and student.
Mary Beth Goodner, 22, originally from Opelika, was a senior in elementary education.
"She was the sweetest person I've ever met," said Alle Hausfeld, who met Goodner through education classes. "I met her the first day of class, and we talked the whole time. She's someone who would have talked to anyone and helped anyone."
Goodner fell down a staircase at Pelican Landing Resort in Key West, Fla., according to police reports.
Goodner attended Lee-Scott Academy, where she was a cheerleader and a member of the track team.
"She loved Jesus and loved children," said Lisa Anz Persons, friend of the Goodner family. "Loved her family. She was just a sweet girl."
Goodner was passionate about Orphanage Emmanuel in Guaimaca, Honduras, said Elizabeth Caldwell, who attended Covenant Presbyterian Church with the Goodner family.
The orphanage cares for unwanted and abandoned children.
Caldwell said she hopes Goodner will be remembered for her work in the mission field.
Goodner participated in Project Uplift, an organization that works with inner-city children, and had volunteered at Storybook Farm.
Goodner was involved with her sorority, Kappa Delta, participating in activities like the 5K Shamrock Run and KD Girl Scout events.
Claire Lewallyn, president of Kappa Delta, has known Goodner since fall 2008.
"Mary Beth was a great attribute to Auburn Kappa Delta, and she will be greatly missed by our chapter," Lewallyn said. "Her compassion for the sorority and the people around her was contagious."
Goodner's funeral, which was standing room only, was held March 23 at 2 p.m. at Auburn United Methodist Church.
"I hope that she's remembered not for her death, but for the type of girl she was and the relationships she had with people and how much of a caring, Christian, godly woman she was," Hausfeld said.
The Goodner family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Orphanage Emmanuel.
"She lived for Jesus," said Jessica Good, who went to Lee-Scott with Goodman, "and so we know she's in a better place now."
Autopsy reports will not be released for six weeks.
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