Five minutes into yesterday’s memorial service for Rhiannon McCuish, most of the pink programs with her picture on it had been picked up by many dressed in her favorite color themselves. In the back of the room, dozens of pink flowers surrounded tissue boxes on a table.
Almost 220 family members and friends watched at a screen as photos flashed by, all with images of the 21-year-old McCuish, a College of Arts and Sciences junior from Mashpee, who was killed in an off-campus apartment fire just more than two months ago.
The 90-minute service, held on the ninth floor of the School of Management, brought together many who shared home videos, pictures and stories of McCuish’s life and interests, though many pointed out one of her main interests was an appreciation for the people around her.
“To her, every day was the day to tell us she loved us,” said Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences junior Rachel Cannon, who said McCuish was her first friend at BU.
A slideshow created by McCuish’s friends showed images of her while James Blunt’s “You’re Beautiful” and Ashlee Simpson’s “Autobiography” played in the background.
Family and friends saw a young McCuish proclaim, “I’m five years old!” in a view made by her family, who also included clips of her playing soccer as a child, her baptism, first day of preschool and high school graduation.
2006 SMG graduate Michaela McCuish spoke of her childhood memories with her sister, explaining how she always wanted McCuish to visit her at BU, “but Mom wouldn’t let her” until she enrolled as a student.
Julienne McCuish, her teenage sister, said McCuish loved Ashlee Simpson and would blast the singer’s music whenever she was upset. Remembering the times she danced with her sister growing up, Julienne McCuish said she looked up to Rhiannon.
“I had her to be my role model,” Julienne McCuish said.
Michaela McCuish recalling memories of when the sisters would seek each other’s advice about boys or find comfort in each other when they were sick.
“When we grieve, it makes it harder for her,” she said, stressing the importance of celebrating her sister’s life. “Sing a little louder, laugh a little harder.”
Marsh Chapel dean Robert Hill opened the afternoon service with a prayer and introduced a brief performance from the Dear Abbeys, which performed a rendition of Elton John’s “Mona Lisa’s and Mad Hatters.”
Close friend Elena Quattrone, the Student Union secretary-elect, related stories about McCuish which she said reflected her dedication to her friends.
Quattrone recalled McCuish’s love for the Boston Red Sox and excitement when the baseball team won the World Series in 2004. She said McCuish attended a parade to celebrate the victory but had to leave her team spirit behind to take Quattrone, who was sick, to Student Health Services.
“She had a lot of friends,” said Quattrone, a Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences junior. “She had a million friends.”
SMG senior Stephen Adelipour, 22, of Great Neck, N.Y., was also killed in the 21 Aberdeen St. apartment fire Feb. 24, which also severely injured CAS senior Steven Boursiquot, who was recently moved to a rehabilitation unit after undergoing surgeries to treat burns on 20 percent of his body.