Kelly White, an MU junior who died Saturday, is remembered as having a loving and infectious personality by those that knew her. She died at age 20 in her hometown of Ballwin, Missouri.

White was a hospitality management major and was involved in Mizzou Special Events Society and Mizzou Association of Venue Managers.

“Kelly White was a three minute hug I didn’t want to end, a contagious smile that filled up a room, a sense of humor that had everyone laughing for hours,” White’s friend Ellison Stead, junior, said in a text message. “Kelly was a person who made everyone who encountered her feel like the most amazing person in the world.”

White and Stead met while living in Lathrop Hall their freshman year at MU.

“She was a best friend that I will miss each and every day for the rest of my life,” Stead said.

Junior Alexa Sinn said White was a selfless friend.

“She would do anything for her friends,” Sinn said. “She once drove from St. Louis to Columbia in the middle of the night just to pick me up when I needed someone to. There aren’t many people like that, and I was so lucky to have her in my life.”

Sinn urged friends to vocalize their love for one another in a Facebook post.

Alex Henke, a friend of White’s, wrote in an Instagram post yesterday, “Kelly was one of those people that you just naturally loved. I was blessed to be able to love you and call you my friend.”

The memorial visitation will be held Friday, Sept. 16 from 3-8 p.m. at Schrader Funeral Home and Crematory in Ballwin. The memorial service will be held Saturday, Sept. 17 at 11 a.m. at the Calvary Chapel in Troy, Missouri.

_Edited by Tessa Weinberg | tweinberg@themaneater.com_