University senior and business administration major Alexis Pennington, 22, died of brain swelling Sunday evening at Sacred Heart Medical Center at Riverbend in Springfield.
Pennington was a member of the University’s water polo and International Business and Economics clubs. She had a great passion for skiing and worked at the Outdoor Program on campus for the last two years.
She is survived by her younger brother, Jack, a University sophomore, and her parents, John and Paula. An autopsy is currently underway, and doctors have ruled out the possibility of meningitis as her cause of death, as previously rumored, because she had been immunized before coming to college. She was hospitalized last Saturday evening.
On Feb. 24, Pennington wrote, “Senioritis. Only a year and a half to go…” as her Facebook status. Since then, dozens of friends and loved ones have posted their respective goodbyes and words of consolation on her Facebook page.
One of Pennington’s closest friends, University junior and marine biology major Tiffany Ho, expressed extreme sadness at learning of her best friend’s death.
“Alexis was an amazing person,” Ho said. “She was always happy, crazy. She was a very outspoken and intelligent person. She had so much potential in this world.”
To Pennington’s friends and family, Ho offered these words of solace:
“My heart goes out to her family and friends who loved her,” Ho said. “This time period for mourning for Alexis is difficult, but she was the kind of person that would want us to enjoy life. She would just want us to be happy.”
University Dean of Students Paul Shang remembers Pennington as a successful and compassionate student, involved in several extra-curricular activities.
“She was a well-known student,” Shang said. “A lot of people knew her, and she was very active in a lot of areas. Many people are shocked, and I think that’s normal when such a young person loses their life.”
A University-wide memorial open to friends and acquaintances of Pennington is being scheduled for spring term, though an exact date has yet to be finalized.
Anyone wanting to come to the Pennington family’s private memorial is asked to contact Tiffany Ho at [email protected] for information on the date, time and location of the service.
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