May. 18, 2008 - In loving memory of a wonderful, friend, classmate, and animal lover

Saturday May 10th, the day before Mothers Day, we had severe storms and many tornados, it was on the front page of USA Today, so I am sure you guys have heard about it. On Saturday night on of my dear friends, Casey Coggin died from the storm. Casey was... well just Casey; there are no words to describe her. I was at a birthday party when I found out she died, but since I am not good with names, I didn't realize that it was my friend Casey that died until I went to school and Mrs. Rainkin the librarian showed me a picture. I was in shock most of Monday. Then Tuesday morning I walked into the school office to work, and I guess I looked upset, because my wonderful principal Mrs. Frazier asked if I was alright and as soon as she said that I burst into tears. She helped me over to the counselor's office so I could talk to the wonderful Ms. Bailey. Then in homeroom, Mrs. Lanyon just held me while I cried. I never realized how much Casey meant to me until she was gone. I only knew her for a short time, but in that short time, she changed my life. I went to Casey's visitation Tuesday night and I did alright until I got to the car, I start sobbing and I cried so much I made myself sick. The shock of seeing Casey in the casket was just too much; it all seemed like a horrible nightmare until I saw her laying there. Casey was always smiling and I loved that smile so, so, so much. When I was staring at Casey in the casket, in my head I was just begging her to wake up and smile, and when I got into the car I kept repeating it and couldn't stop. It made the horrible nightmare a reality, and I just wasn’t ready for that. I cried most of Wednesday at school. In wonderful Mrs. Lanyon’s AP Lit class, she had us write our final journal, the subject was a reflection on the past year. Usually our journals are only a page long, but I filled up 5 pages, I would have written more if the bell didn’t ring, anyways I started writing about Casey and I just started crying. Sweet, wonderful Mrs. Lanyon let me go to the restroom without a pass or any questions. Then at the end of class, she gave a really long nice hug and just held me. It was 1:30 and Casey’s funeral was at 2:00pm. I had decided after her visitation that I just couldn’t handle going to her funeral, but as I was writing in Mrs. Lanyon’s class I realized I had to go and really say my final goodbye. So I ran down to the office to call my mom so she could take me to Casey’s funeral, my mom had just gotten home from the doctor and couldn’t drive, and when she told me that I just started crying and couldn’t stop. The secretaries kept asking me what was wrong, so I told them and they started trying to find a ride for me to the funeral. Then Mr. Wick (my vice principal) started calling around for a ride for me and Mr. Huntley (the other vice principal) said he would take me with Mrs. Lanyon and Ms. Bailey. I couldn’t believe they were doing this to me, I think I annoyed them by saying thank you so many times. Casey’s funeral wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. The pastor described Casey perfectly; he talked about her smile, her eyes, her kind heart, her joy, and her love for animals and rescuing them. She would never leave an animal or person behind. They had beautiful picture collages of Casey and a school desk filled with signatures. After the funeral service, I was Ms. Swindle my old math teacher and she came up and gave me a long hug and we talked about Casey. When the hearse passed by we all clapped for Casey and her wonderful life. A girl told me the other day that at the burial the pastor said that Casey is still alive, in each and every one of us, and he is so right. Thursday morning we had our talent show at school at is great. Katie Kivett sang “Concrete Angel” by Martina McBride and dedicated it to Casey. I made through half of the song before I had to run out sobbing. Mrs. Frazier and Ms. Bailey found me and Mrs. Frazier had Ms. Bailey help me up to Ms. Bailey’s office. I had promised Casey at her funeral that I wouldn’t cry anymore because she would want me to stop crying, she wouldn’t want me to be so upset. I felt that I had failed her. Ms. Bailey said that it was alright and then I need to cry and grieve. When I got back to the talent show, Mrs. Pettey and the other librarian both gave me hugs and asked if I was alright. I have named all of the kittens except for the white one with the black and orange ears, and when I got home from Casey’s funeral, the perfect name came to me, Casey. It fits the kitten so perfectly. So we have DC, Milo, Oliver, Anne, Mary Alice, and Casey. I am so sorry that I have been ignoring everyone; I know many persons have tried to contact me. I just have been so upset; I haven’t felt like talking to anyone, I haven’t felt like doing anything. I promise I will eventually answer everyone’s calls, messages, and comments. Here is a story from the local paper about Casey:

With only two days gone by since the death of their friend, Casey Marie Coggin, 17, a group of young people gathered at the shattered remains of the Coggin home to remember, reminisce and shed some tears.

"She was on the graduation list for December," said Chad Marsh, the man whom Coggin intended to marry next year. "She worked so hard to get her grades up."

"She had plans to go to college," said Tedie Balster, another friend of Casey.

"She's probably the nicest person you would ever meet," said friend Chase Gregg. "If you were having a bad day, she would brighten it up."

"She touched so many lives," said Mary Marsh, Chad Marsh's mother.

"She's treated me more like a sister," said Deonna Platko, another friend.

"I just want to be there for her," said friend Brian Berg.

Those were a few of the comments made by a group of about 10 friends who gathered at the home on County Road 80, about six miles east of Carthage and south of Missouri Highway 96.

They were there to help clean up if they could, and they were there to remember the Carthage High School junior who was killed by a falling tree immediately after warning her father that a tornado was coming.

Her parents, Jeff and Debbie Coggin, were able to stagger from the mobile home immediately after it was struck by two huge trees blown down in the EF-1 tornado that hit the area.

A friend to animals

The friends recalled a vivacious girl who loved animals and nature. They walked around the destroyed trailer, looking at the caged rabbits that Casey cared for. The cages, only 20 feet from the trailer, seemed to have survived the storm almost unscathed.

Chad Marsh said he managed to save their two dogs, which were like children to Casey, but they were still missing a black and white cat.

"She was wanting to work in a zoo, she loved animals," Chad Marsh said. "That was Casey. Those are her rabbits over there, our dog is basically like her daughter. I got the dog out of the house, she was trapped between the couch and the roof."
Chad Marsh said he loved to fish, but because of Casey, he almost never got to eat anything he caught.

"I could go fishing, and catch the biggest fish in the world, but by the time I got home, I would have to take it back down to the pond and let him go because she had named him," Chad Marsh said. "She made me stop and pull to the side of the road so a turtle could get across the road.

"Her love for animals was amazing, she fed a stray raccoon that had goop around its eyes. We found it in Joplin and she literally fed it dog biscuits out of the palm of her hand."

Marsh said Casey was a member of the FFA and showed goats, rabbits and other animals at the Jasper County Youth Fair over the years.

"She was always involved in FFA with her brother and she's got enough ribbons to make four blankets, which is what she was planning to do with all the ribbons," Chad Marsh said. "She used to show goats and was the grand champion one year. She also showed her rabbits. In one of the old Carthage Presses, you've got a picture of her kissing a duck at the fair."

Other friends said Casey was a cheery person who spread her cheer among her friends.

"I've been friends with her for about two years now, but she invited me over to have supper with her parents a week after we met," Gregg said. "She's just the nicest person you'd ever meet. For someone to do that, invite you into their home when you just got to know them, that's just Casey."

So little warning

Chad Marsh recalled that scary Saturday evening when he was at work at the Arrowhead Bar and Grill near Kellogg Lake.

The National Weather Service determined that a tornado with wind-speeds of between 86 and 110 mph touched down near County Road 90 just north of Ivy Road. The twister traveled three and a half miles east and slightly south to around the intersection of Ivy Road and County Road 60.

"We could see what looked like funnel rotation, when it was coming up the other side of Kellogg Lake, but we couldn't tell for sure," Chad Marsh said. "It looked like a funnel and I called her to tell her about it and she said she was looking at radar and she thought it was going to miss them. Then I called her back and told her to get out of there. I called my mom to let her know and then I went to call Casey back and it was busy."

Chad Marsh said Casey's father told him that Casey told her parents about the storm, then went to her room to get her shoes."

If she would have just gone outside barefoot ... but that's not Casey," Chad Marsh said. "She always had shoes on her feet, she's got soft feet. But she would have made it."
Marsh and a neighbor, Todd Johnson, both said Casey Coggin's parents would probably not be alive if Casey had not sounded the warning.

Jeff Coggin suffered some cuts and bruises that required stitches. Debbie Coggin escaped with fewer physical injuries.

"If I wouldn't have told her to wake her dad up, and stuff, her parents probably wouldn't have made it," Chad Marsh said. "It was probably two seconds after I called that the trees fell. The last words I heard from her were 'I love you.'"

Casey, you will always be in my heart. I am so blessed to have known such an amazing person. Anyways, I graduate Tuesday and then I leave Wednesday with my dad and brother. I will try and blog again before I leave. Ciao, Sara Belle

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Sep. 11, 2008 - Casey Coggins

Posted by Tasha Garrison

Casey coggins was a dear friend to a lot of people and no matter what she will live on through me and my kids and their kids on and on.And all of her other friends will also show Casey through them.

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Nov. 18, 2008 - I am so sorry...

Posted by ElvishAuthoress

I am so sorry. That must have been devastating...

...

~Eletha

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