Franny McLemore, junior in pre-pharmacy, died Monday, Oct. 22 of a pulmonary embolism.
McLemore was working as a tutor for student athletes with her roommate, Alissa Best, when she suddenly passed out.
"I was with her when she died," Best said. "We were walking out of work and she just said, 'hold on a minute.' It was literally out of the blue."
Christopher Hunsberger, executive pastor at Dawson Memorial Baptist Church, said he would miss McLemore at the church, where she'd been a member since childhood.
"We definitely miss her," Hunsburger said. "She's definitely someone who was a leader. She stood out among her peers in just about every category, whether it be academics or personality or just the way she lived her life. Somebody like that, you can't go through life and not miss them."
McLemore was very active in the church, working as a camp counselor, singing in the choir and even participating in summer mission trips to Ecuador.
"She always tells us about Ecuador and her missions there and the kids she had met and how she had gotten the chance to take care of them and have an influence in their lives," Best said. "And when she came back, even though she wasn't in Ecuador, she definitely spread that unconditional love to all her friends here."
In fact, one of McLemore's last tweets was about her roommates, attached with a picture of the cake they'd gotten to congratulate her on getting into Harrison School of Pharmacy.
"My roommates are better than yours!"
McLemore did her best to qualify for graduate school, maintaining a 4.0 GPA, participating in several honors societies and becoming a member of Omega Phi Alpha with Best.
"She worked so hard in school and really at anything she did," Best said. "She just got accepted into Harrison School of Pharmacy, which is all she's talked about since we were freshmen. When I first met her, she told me she was pre-pharmacy and that's what she wanted to do, and she spent the last three years working so hard to get into pharmacy school."
Best said mission work was still important to McLemore, however.\0x2029
"She wanted to continue mission work in Ecuador when she graduated from pharmacy school," Best said. "That was one of her goals, to go back to Ecuador and do a long-term mission work there. It was something she really cared about."
Best said she felt blessed to know McLemore because of her caring nature.
"She was like the mom," Best said. "She took care of all of us. A couple weeks ago, I had gotten a stomach virus, and, as soon as she got home and found out I was sick, the first thing she did was go get me medicine, and she took care of me the entire time. She always knew when something was wrong, and she was always there if you wanted to talk."
Hunsburger said these traits made McLemore a great volunteer as well.
"Franny had an amazing gift at understanding and working with people," Hunsburger said. "She made everyone feel special and important, and I think she did that because of her understanding that that's the way that Christ went about his life and the way he wants us to live and that everyone is equally loved by Christ. Franny didn't treat anybody differently."
Best said it will be hard not seeing her roommate every day, but she is glad McLemore was part of her life.
"I met Franny the first week of our freshman year," Best said. "I've literally seen or talked to her every day since then. She was the greatest example and the greatest friend. So many people lost a best friend and someone who really cared for them, but we're all here for each other together, and I think everyone knows we have a new guardian angel in heaven looking out for us."
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