Cassandra Beall

On August 31, 2023, Cassandra Marie Beall (Whitaker), 34, of Beavercreek, OH passed gently into the night. At her side was her husband, Jameson Ryan Beall, and mother, Anita Rae Campbell. We are made of star stuff, so it seems appropriate that the stars accompanied her on this final journey as lauds heralded the midpoint between midnight and dawn, and the stars began to set in preparation for a new day.

Cassi was born in Dayton OH on May 15, 1989. She was anxious to make her arrival, crowning twice as the nurses frantically attempted to get sheets on the bed of an unprepared room. We entered the hospital around 9:30, and at 9:40 she entered the world.

Her mother’s journal notes:

“As she is laid on my stomach, the office nurse announces “it’s a girl”. She is moving, a gasp, and she begins to breathe. There is no cry, no fuss, just quiet breathing, how perfect. My God! You are beautiful…”

In May of 2017, Cassi met her soulmate in Ryan Beall. She was a bit gun shy of dating because of an unhappy marriage, and a difficult divorce; but a friend convinced her to have a go at Tinder for a few “one and done” dates. She was determined to go and socialize, without looking for anything permanent. Her first date was with Ryan, who introduced her to Vietnamese cuisine at “What Da Pho”. Her bestie “not twin”, Rachel Hathaway, says she knew he was the one the next time she talked to Cassi. The first date was followed by a trip to Beaver Vu Bowling, followed by a chilly walk at Shoup Park. When a cold rain began to fall, they sat in the car, teeth chattering, talking for a long time; unwilling to give up the conversion in favor of warmth.

They were brought together by their love of Star Trek, their favorite captain, Janeway, and progressive politics. From the beginning of their relationship Cassi’s smiles became brighter, her laughter more frequent, and her inner spark blazed.

On October 26, 2018, Cassi was working as an organizer for the Democratic Party. Ryan packed up his Playstation and drove to Cleveland to surprise her with the Red Dead Redemption 2 Ultimate edition, so they could play id during her time off. The game not only became a tool for Cassi to later cope with her cancer diagnosis, it was a regular Sunday outing with mom when the Pandemic curtailed most family visits.

Ryan introduced Cassi to the world of video gaming, she introduced him to her favorite musicals, Dolly Parton, and what would become their favorite movies, “9 to 5” and “ The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”

During her last visit to ER, when the doctor’s couldn’t get her to focus on answering questions, Ryan stepped over and said “I love you Cassi”, and she immediately turned towards him and answered “I love you too babe”. The attending physician couldn’t contain a smile at the palatable display for the connection between them.

CASSI WAS A RENAISSANCE WOMAN!!

WARRIOR

She was diagnosed with Breast cancer in October of 2020. She proceeded with chemotherapy, radiation treatments and a double mastectomy. She was declared cancer free in June of 2021, and even though the Pandemic still raged, precautions enabled her to enjoy a few activities during this brief respite with family.

An outing to an outdoor mall

A weekend at a cabin

Kayaking down a gentle river

Cookouts and picnics

Movies in front of the fireplace

By early 2022 all indications were that the cancer had metastasized into her bones, and possibly other organs, but treatment was delayed because a second Covid wave overtaxed hospitals. In the spring of 2022 the MRI showed that it had also spread to the liver, in a location that was inoperable. Throughout this time Cassi continued to accept the sickness and pain involved in treatments and fought for time with family, hoping that someday she might be able to resume living her life. She began to think of her aunt, Lynda Luthke, as her cancer buddy; their phone conversations helped her through the toughest times. She hated the phrase “lost her battle with cancer”, stating that death is a draw, because the cancer is terminated with the host.

Even while fighting cancer,

When she was too weak to stand

When nausea was her constant companion

When she couldn’t lift her legs without help

When even her playstation controller was too heavy

She always found time to console a friend

And lift up her family

To hug her dog

And find a smile

And remind us always that a warrior continues to fight, even when the outcome will be a draw.

MUSICIAN

Cassi grew up surrounded by music. At night, before snuggling in to read a bedtime story, mom would sit on the edge of her bed singing Folk Songs and Lullabies while playing the guitar. After story time lullabies often continued Acapella until slumber settled in. Her early years as a musician included improvising on a variety of instruments, and singing traditional music with mom and grandmother, Jeanie Camobell. Cassi learned to hear and improvise harmonies during those family sing-a-longs.

She relished riding her rocking horse vigorously to the song “Bad Moon Rising”, and when Grandfather Ova Campbell picked her up after morning preschool classes she entertained all comers at McDonald’s with her renditions of Achy Breaky Heart. A life-long friend recently shared that one of her earliest memories was sliding along under the church pews on their backs, spying on the adult choir while they practiced.

Never shy about sharing her music with the world, she was a one person flash mob, long before they were popular. At the 1996 COB annual conference in Cincinnati she insisted on skipping through the long corridors, mom in tow, singing Do, Re, Mi from the sound of music. Of course they sang it in two parts.

When mom returned to college to pursue a license in Music Education, Cassi sang along in the practice rooms. She memorized Bach and Vivaldi, Mozart and Gounod, all before her seventh birthday. Her clear child’s voice lightly tripped notes far above the staff, in languages she did not speak, developing a life-long love of Opera that would later define her college years.

She studied dance throughout elementary school, sang solos in school plays and school choir, and performed solos at church. When she entered middle school she began using those skills in Show Choir both at Ankeney Middle School and at Ferguson Middle School, and in musicals and plays throughout her middle school and high school years. At 14 she was accepted into the Cincinnati Conservatory preparatory program and studied there for a little over a year, singing graduate level literature for her final middle school OMEA adjudicated solo event.

In high school she joined the Beavercreek Marching band flag and color guard.

She sang with the Kettering Children’s Choir in both the Concert and Capella groups. This not only exposed her to some fantastic musical experiences; but allowed her to sing at the National Cathedral in Washington DC, the Basilica in Venice, an impromptu performance in Salzburg at the church used in “The Sound of Music”, and in Austria and Germany.

By the end of her freshman year at Manchester College it became obvious that she should declare her major as vocal performance, and her serious study of art music began. She performed in Urinetown and 1776. Cassi qualified for the concerto competition twice, and was the winner once. She was asked to join a professional performance with the Fort Wayne Community Band.

During summer break of 2012 she performed in The Music Man alongside her mom, as mother and daughter Marian and Mrs. Paroo.

Cassi received her BS in Vocal Performance from Manchester University in 2013

She later attended Wright State University to get her teaching credentials. While she was there she played the role of Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance and had an opportunity to be a soloist at Carnegie Hall.

Her most recent performance was simpler by comparison. She awed her online gaming friend with an impromptu duet of Shenandoah while riding the virtual trails of Red Dead Redemption 2.

HORSEWOMAN

Cassi’s love of horses began with her favorite squeaky toy at the age of six weeks. When given the opportunity she would always reach for a small purple pony. Her fourth word was horse, right after mama, mimi (grandma), and kitty. She visited horses at farms a few times in preschool, her infectious smile lighting up at the touch of a soft muzzle. She insisted on a ride everytime we attended the Greene County Fair.

Her world exploded in delight when her mom landed a summer job as a horse instructor at Camp Woodland Altars. For four years she packed her bags, including a diminutive vintage saddle, and headed off for six weeks of trail riding in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. When she was old enough she began riding her pony, Gentle Ben in 4-H. Mom was a public school teacher, so Cassi never had access to a “made” horse. Instead she worked with mom to lease a different problem horse each summer and retrain it in time for the fair. In the early years, Cassi was mostly involved in polishing the project, but by high school she was able to ride a variety of difficult animals. She qualified for the Ohio State Fair in Hunt Seat Pleasure, and Hunter Hack, and was asked to join the college equestrian team at Manchester.

When life and cancer denied her the ability to ride horses in the physical world, she turned to the virtual world to continue to enjoy her passion, riding regularly with a few online friends in the untamed wilderness of the American Wild West.

She had dreamed of a farm where she could rehabilitate and rehome unwanted horses, and provide therapy for cancer patients.

SCIENTIST

When Cassi was four years old she wanted to be a paleontologist. While lots of young children have a love of dinosaurs, few have the tenacity to watch videos of a Harvard professor lecturing paleontology majors on the evidence of warm vs cold bloodedness in tyrannosaurs. She would articulate with authority the specific reasons that dinosaurs had to be warm blooded based on the speed and distance which fossilized footprints had clocked dinosaur movements.

Cassi began entering the school science fair in third grade. In fifth grade, the Air Force Captain that interviewed her was so impressed at her explanations that he encouraged her to consider majoring in physics in college. Her eighth grade project was slated to go to State, but she declined as she had a previous commitment for a show choir competition.

HUMANITARIAN

Beginning early in elementary school Cassi would seek out children who didn’t have anyone to play with at recess to be her friend. She did this even if it meant some of her previous friends chose not to play with her. I asked her once why she chose to play with a child who sometimes was not very kind to her, and she replied “she doesn’t have any other friends, it’s what I should do”.

In middle school she arrived late to warm up for her solo adjudication. Even though she was reprimanded for it, she still managed to pull herself together and give a performance worthy of a perfect score. When asked why she was late she said her friend’s judge was running behind, and she needed her there for support. She thought that was more important as long as she got to her room in time, even though she knew it would be harder to sing her piece with a shortened warm-up.

In high school she encouraged friends from church to go on a learning tour to Honduras where they would help the local villagers install a gravity based water system.

Her final 4-H dog project was to do the preliminary training for a seeing-eye- dog.

When she entered Manchester College it was with a scholarship for community service.

ARTIST

Cassi began her love of drawing and painting at an early age. She helped paint a mural in the courtyard at Fairbrook Elementary, and had work displayed in the art show nearly every year of her school career. In fifth grade she was identified as gifted in the visual arts.

She created her own clothing through sewing projects in 4-H, scoring in the top 10% at the state level her senior year for a belly dancing costume in which she designed her own beadwork, and dyed the fabric after the beadwork and construction was finished.

When she built her Celtic harp, it was hand carved with oak leaves twining around the neck, and a dragon and unicorn painted on the soundboard. It resulted in yet another trip to the Ohio State Fair.

Her senior year in high school she took first place at the Greene county fair in visual art, and was chosen as a State Fair representative.

She also received County awards in photography and creating scenes for Breyer Horses.

FUR BABY MOM

Cassi’s love of animals began almost at birth. Throughout her life she had many pets which she loved and cared for. Many of these animals have preceded her in death, for such is the way of creatures who do not need to learn to love.

Her cats: Grizzy, Aidan, Sophie, and Merlin.

Her first dog: Suss Liebe Hund.

Her pony: Gentle Ben

Still in the care of her family is her beloved dog Luca, and cat, Boo.

WORLD TRAVELER

Cassi loved travel because it allows one to see different points of view and connect with different communities. Her travels were small at first. She would ask repeatedly when she could visit Grandma Campbell in the mountains of south eastern KY, and grew to love water sports on yearly visits to Lake Cumberland through her teen years.

She visited Germany, Austria, and Italy with the Kettering Children’s choir, Honduras and Colorado with the church youth group, Scotland, and England twice for educational opportunities. In 2014 Cassi and mom made a pony trek through the Welsh heather.

She loved staying at the cabins in Hocking Hills. It was the first get-a-way with Ryan in 2017, and the part of her last summer with mobility in 2021.

She completed her travels where they began in July of 2022. The extended Campbell Clan took a final trip to Lake Cumberland to spend the week on a houseboat. Although she was wheelchair bound, she managed one life jacket supported swim in the lake and relished games and movies with family.

VIDEO GAME CONNOISSEUR

As a pandemic closed the world and cancer ravaged her body, Cassi entered the world of gaming. At the gaming console her loss of mobility was minimized as her wit and fine motor control allowed her to engage with friends around the world, and immerse herself into stories in a new more personal way.

She galloped a fantasy through Zelda, Breadth of the Wild, and the American west in rdr2.

She explored the intricacies of familial relationships by playing God of War and Horizon with Ryan, as they both missed the interaction of family.

The terminal illnesses of Arthur in rdr2, and V in Cyberpunk helped her process her own diagnoses.

Together Cassi and Ryan vindicated a real world aflame through the virtual Farcry V.

Perhaps most importantly, through online games they connected with friends around the world in Destiny; and she rode with mom and a small group of international friends in rdr2.

PASSIONATE IDEALIST

Cassi never gave up trying to make the world a better place for all people. She passionately believed that democracy only works when it works for everyone. Her short-lived professional life reflects that spirit.

She worked as a substitute teacher in Beavercreek City Schools, Columbus City Schools, and Grove City Schools.

She was an organizer for the Hillary Clinton Campaign.

She worked for the Ohio Democratic Party for campaigns in the Cleveland area, and as an intern at the Ohio State House.

She spent one year as a music teacher at an inner city school.

Unfortunately Cassi never found a permanent teaching placement, cancer took her too soon.

For those who were closest to her, Cassi leaves a gaping hole in their hearts: She will be missed interminably by her husband, caretaker, and soul mate Ryan Beall. She was raised by her mother, Anita Campbell, but in adulthood their relationship changed as they became the best of friends. She lived with her grandparents Ova and Jeannie Campbell until she was 13, and developed a relationship that was somewhere between grandchild and child. Yearly family vacations and close proximity of homes caused her to be unusually close to her aunt Alesia Campbell, uncle Tim Campbell, his wife Vicki Campbell, and her cousins, Kyle and Zach Hollinger, and Caleb, Colin, and Carly Campbell. Her sister-in-law, fellow tattoo enthusiast, and short term roomie, Renee Beall had too short a time to know her, yet her loss is still a devastating blow.

An ever expanding circle of lives too large to list were made richer by her presence on this planet. Her love, exuberance, and generosity of spirit will continue to be passed forward into the future.

We will be celebrating Cassi in the following ways:

Please wear fun colorful attire; befitting her new place in the nebulas of the galaxies.

We would love you to share a story about a good time with Cassi. There will be journal pages available at the visitation, and a time to share with each other at the service.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to:

New Vocations Horse Rescue; https://www.horseadoption.com/donate_detail/9

Visitation will be held Friday, September 15, 2023, 4:00-7:00 PM at Beavercreek Church of the Brethren, 2659 Dayton-Xenia Road, Beavercreek OH, 45434

A Celebration of Life storytelling service will be held Saturday, September 16, 2023, 10:00 AM at Beavercreek Church of the Brethren, Beavercreek OH, 45434

There will not be a graveside service.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.tobias-fh.com for the Beall family.