Susan Facini, known best by Susie, was watching a movie at home with her mom on Wednesday night when her heart started beating very rapidly, according to her mother, Bernadette.
She went into cardiac arrest and was brought to Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson, where she died around midnight.
Minutes later the news had spread to her friends through Facebook and a chain of text messages. Her mother also called her daughter’s closest friends during the early morning.
“One of my friends found out and called me to let me know,” said Jackie Paduano, 18, a psychology major and longtime friend. “At first I didn’t believe them but I went online and saw all of the posts.”
Hundreds gathered for her wake at O.B Funeral Home in Miller Place.
“You had to wait on line to get in but no one really minded. She was that great,” Paduano said.
Facini, 19, recently declared a major in Italian studies. She was also a student manager in the SAC dining hall where she worked since last year.
One of the other student managers, Konstantinos Plakas, 19, a chemistry major, remembers her personality.
“At work, everyone will agree that her smile could light up the worst of days. She had a beautiful smile, warm heart and touching personality,” he said.
At the memorial service her mother spoke about how she wanted people to remember her daughter.
“She wasn’t my Susie or my husband’s Susie, she was our Susie, she brought happiness to everyone” Facini said.
Michelle Strano, 19, a biology major, shared an eight-year friendship with Facini.
“She brought so many of my friends together, she’s the reason so many people are friends with each other today,” Strano said. “She wanted to be friends with everyone, and succeeded with all those she met.”
At Stony Brook, Facini was a proud supporter of the Stony Brook Men’s Rugby Football Club.
“She was always in the stands supporting them. She even made them cupcakes and brownies for their games and tournaments,” said Dina Aly, 20, a political science major and close friend of Facini.
Paduano is working on naming a star after Facini through the International Star Registry. And one of her friends, Fallon McManus, is making bracelets in her memory.
“She’s gone, and it’s left a void in all of our lives that can only be filled with memories of her making us all laugh,” said Hope McDonaugh, 20, a psychology major and close friend of Facini.
