CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF CADE REDDINGTON

I will never forget when Cade first told me he was coming to Milwaukee for school. I was so excited, and I told all of my friends and family about it right away. I didn’t have a very good first year at college and just knowing that Cade was going to be there, I knew that everything was going to be alright. 

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Cade always knew how to make me laugh, even if I was crying. He was such a light in everyone’s life, and he had the biggest heart. One time Cade, me, and our other friend went hammocking to watch the sunset. Afterwards, we had to walk back to the car and of course I didn’t have appropriate shoes to be walking in a muddy field. Cade refused to let me walk and get my feet all muddy, so he gave me a piggyback ride all the way back to the car. He was truly so selfless and he devoted his life to making other people happy.  

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Cade and I always had really deep talks about all different types of things and when we got on a topic he was passionate about, he could talk about it for hours. He was so smart, and I was always so amazed by him when he would talk about the things he was interested in. One day we were talking about how the world can be an awful place sometimes and it's so easy to make someone's day. Cade was so good at this. He would always smile and wave at random people or give them a compliment. He was the most outgoing person. He would always start up conversations with workers at restaurants or just random people walking down the street. He made friends so easily and everyone loved him.

The last night I saw Cade, he came stomping up the steps like he always did and jumped on my bed. We were so excited to see each other because we hadn’t been able to spend the last couple of weekends together. He told me he had some friends outside and he asked if they could come in, and then he brought in two random people I had never seen before. I swear he was friends with everyone.

I think we should all try to be as friendly, as selfless, and as passionate as Cade was. We should all try to carry on his legacy by doing more random acts of kindness. Cade has the most beautiful soul, and he always made me feel at home. I am so grateful for all of the time that I got to call him my best friend and someone that was family to me. He will never be forgotten, and I will cherish every moment I got to spend with him for the rest of my life.