Gone West: Cadet Madison Dillingham

The family of Madison Dillingham gathered at her Sabattus home Wednesday night but it was to plan her funeral, not to celebrate the holiday.

"It's going to be tough. It's going to be a hard holiday," said Seth Roberts, Madison's father. "We usually have so much to be thankful for. Now we just miss her so much."

Dillingham, 18, and in her first year of college, died late Tuesday after a head-on car crash in Minot. She was an honors student, a member of the Civil Air Patrol and a gifted athlete. She was also, according to her driver's license, an organ donor.

The teen, who has no history of accidents or motor vehicle violations, was pronounced dead at a Lewiston hospital shortly before midnight after the 1998 Ford Contour she was driving collided with another car on Jackson Hill Road at 6:15 p.m.

"Madison was the perfect balance of tenacity, passion, fun, beauty and sprit," said 17-year-old Katherine Knight of Raymond, a close friend of the teenager. "She was loved by all in the Civil Air Patrol as a cadet, a leader and a best friend. She was a teacher, a commander, a mentor, an example of everything right in life. I missed her so much when she went off to college, now we all just have to miss her a little bit longer."

Madison graduated in the top 10 percent of her class at Oak Hill High School in Wales, where she was enrolled her senior year. Before that, she was at Windham High School, where she earned the Billy Mitchell Award, the Amelia Earhart Award and the Scholar-Athlete Award.

Others who knew Madison's commitment to academics and to her future made similar comments. Scott Higgins, her commander at the CAP, said Madison joined the group when she was 12 years old and excelled over the years.

"She came in a shy, timid little girl and left a lady," he said. "She was a very caring person. She was on her way to a great career, a great life."

SunJournal.com: 'It's going to be a hard holiday'

:: Cadet Dillingham's ultimate goal was to become a Army Blackhawk  pilot, according to her unit's April newsletter. (PDF) She had just completed her 6th year in the program, served as the Cadet Commander of the Augusta-Gardiner Composite Squadron, and had been recognized with the Air Force Association Award.

As I write this on Thanksgiving day, it is somehow even more poignant, and I'm again reminded how in an instant, we can loose even the best of the best. When I sit down to the holiday dinner with my wife and child, I'll think of her, her family, and her wingmates.

Godspeed Madi.

Comments

[Smokey]

My prayers go out to the family on this tragic loss. A life too young taken. Her loss will be felt throughout CAP and especially in her squadron.

Godspeed Madison

[chaplaincolby]

My prayers and thoughts are with the Dillingham family. May God comfort and bless all through this tragidy.