MADELINE RAINERI | News Editor
Scores of men and women from Greek life, friends, family and administrators gathered at the Lindenwood Cultural Center Oct. 23 for the Catholic Mass in honor of Madison “Maddie” Scott.
The late afternoon sunlight poured through the stained glass windows, creating soft rainbows reflected across the white walls. Purple and white bouquets lined the stage where Maddie’s mother and sorority sisters shared stories about Scott’s life.
On Oct. 15, Scott, 19, of Jefferson City died of an “apparent suicide” in her campus dorm room at Calvert Rogers Hall, according to St. Charles police.
Scott studied Spanish and advertising and strategic communications with a minor in social welfare and was an active member of the Sigma Sigma Sigma, Theta Delta chapter at Lindenwood University.
According to an ObitTree posted for Scott, she enjoyed reading, babysitting, spending time with her family and loved animals. Scott “always looked forward to visiting the Jefferson City animal shelter with her dad,” it said.
“You all know, she’d light up a room when she’d walk in,” said Kay Scott, Scott’s mother. “She always took time for everybody else and then did her thing. She made time first for people, and that’s the girl that I love, and that’s the girl I raised.”
Tears and smiles alike crossed the faces of the attendees, remembering the life of Scott.
“She was always so funny, she just wanted to make everyone happy,” said Raylee Hook, a friend of Maddie. “Every single time I saw her she’d say “Raylee bae how are you!” and just hug me and tell me she loved me every single time I saw her.”
In an Instagram post from the Tri Sigma page, Emily Stricker, the chapter’s president, said “Maddie will be always be remembered as a fun-loving, charismatic, and positive Tri Sigma sister. Our chapter mourns the loss of our sister and want to thank everyone for their support during this hard time.
Stricker also spoke at the memorial service and said: “Maddie will always be a member of Tri Sigma. And she’ll always be a member of our chapter, and our chapter will never be the same without her, but we know that we have the best guardian angel always looking out for us.”
Students who would like to speak with someone about Scott’s death can contact the Student Counseling and Resource Center at 636-949-4522 or [email protected].
