Oct. 19, 1998
- Paul Wong
- Cantor
Remembering her vivid imagination, sense of humor and love of life, hundreds of friends and family attended services yesterday for LSA freshman Courtney Cantor, who died Friday morning after falling from her sixth-floor residence hall window.
Investigators suspect that Cantor, whose body was found near the loading dock of Mary Markley Residence Hall, may have fallen from the ladder of her loft while climbing into bed.
“She had a sparkle that drew people to her,” Rabbi Harold Loss said during yesterday’s service at Ira Kaufman Chapel in Southfield, Mich. “She taught us lessons about living, caring for each other and being there for each other.”
The 18-year-old Chi Omega pledge from West Bloomfield attended carry-in ceremonies at the sorority Thursday night. She then went to a party at the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, where she was seen drinking alcohol. She returned to Markley in a cab with three friends at about 3 a.m.
Cantor’s roommate, LSA freshman Marni Golden, saw her in the room after Cantor returned from the party. Golden left the room once between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. to go to the bathroom. Cantor, found in her nightshirt, was taken to University Hospital Emergency Room and pronounced dead at 5:48 a.m.
Through tears and shaky voices, friends and family yesterday remembered Cantor’s love, willingness to accept challenges, loyalty as a friend and even her sense of fashion.
“She was the strongest in our group, like the leader,” said LSA freshman Rebekah Parker, one of Cantor’s close friends from Andover High School in Bloomfield Hills. “She held everything together. She was a best friend to a lot of people.”
Loss read a paper Cantor recently had finished that demonstrated the writing talent she inherited from her father, Detroit News columnist George Cantor. In the paper, Cantor describes her mother, Sherry, as her “best friend” and calls her father her “knight in shining armor.”
“She had a huge capacity of giving,” George Cantor said of his daughter.
He said just a few weeks ago his daughter told him she was intimidated by the competitive atmosphere at the University, but said, “I can do this.”
Cantor’s ability to balance numerous extracurricular activities, maintain good grades and still have fun often mystified some of her friends.
“She knew how to budget her time and no one could understand how she did it,” said Jennifer Raznick, a high school friend and freshman at Emory University.
Cantor “lit up a room” when she entered it, Parker said. “She was very beautiful and always caught people’s eye.”
An honor student at Andover Cantor was an active member of the debate, tennis and forensic team, National Honor Society and school newspaper staff.
She worked hard during high school so she could be accepted at the University and be with her sister, LSA senior Jaime Cantor.
“It was very important for her to go to Michigan,” George Cantor said. “She was elated last year when she found out she was accepted.”
As a resident of the Markley community, Cantor was involved in the 21st Century Living-Learning Program. Just more than a week ago, she accepted her bid to Chi Omega.