ANDERSON — The story below originally contained an error in the spelling of Cheri Fisher's name.

Special to the Anderson Independent-Mail

Ansleigh Moorehead

The tears that fell at 16-year-old Ansleigh Moorhead’s funeral Tuesday afternoon seemed as numerous as the drops of cold rain that pounded the ground outside the chapel.

Ms. Moorhead, a senior at Westside High School, died Saturday in a car accident, about 5 miles from her home.

Ms. Moorhead played softball for Lady Lightning, an Anderson Recreation Center league team, she loved all kinds of sports and her favorite college was Clemson University, her father said. She was scheduled to graduate this year, one year early.

Rows of people sat in the pews of the Sullivan-King Northeast chapel and more than 100 others stood along the walls and sat in overflow rooms, wiping tears and sobbing as friends and family told of their relationships with Ms. Moorhead.

“She had the ability to walk into a room and take the air out of it,” her aunt, Cheri Fisher, said. “When she was a little girl, and customers would come into the store. I would say to her ‘Tell them what you love,’ and she would say ‘diamonds and gold and my Aunt Cheri.”

Linda Moorhead, Ansleigh’s grandmother wept while saying goodbye to her “baby.”

“She was our pride and joy,” Ms. Moorhead said. “She had us wrapped around her little finger, but we didn’t care.”

Between the songs “Heaven Was Needing A Hero” and “If You Could See Me Now,” speakers reminisced about her smile, which they said could brighten anyone’s day.

In the front of the chapel, a single photo of the petite, blonde girl showed her smiling.

Hand-written messages covered posters featuring pictures of Ansleigh, describing her as a friend, a confidant and a supporter. Several bouquets of flowers flanked her gold casket, most of them bearing orange flowers or ribbons and one of them in the shape of a Clemson tiger paw — a testament to her love for Clemson University.

“The Scriptures say, ‘For a person to have friends, they must show themselves friendly’,” the Rev. Lloyd Robison said during his eulogy. “Seeing all these people here is a testimony to the fact she had that ability to make friends. People enjoyed being around her, and she impacted many lives.”

Sullivan-King employees said so many people came to offer Ansleigh’s family their condolences that the parking lot and the chapel remained full throughout the visitation, which lasted for several hours Monday night.

A guest book in the obituary section of this Web site contained 12 pages of memorial messages to Ansleigh and her family.

“She was so selfless, and yet she always became the center of attention,” Ansleigh’s friend Deanna said. “It doesn’t seem fair for such a beautiful, loving and caring person to be taken away from us so soon. But God knows best, and Ansleigh is truly in a better place.”