Mepham senior fondly remembered

“There’s no describing her. She was just beautiful.” That’s how childhood friend Nicholas McCormick summed up Erin Clare Malloy-McArdle, 18.

Malloy-McArdle, a Mepham senior and president of the Students Against Destructive Decisions club, was killed in a skiing accident at Windham Mountain in Greene County last Sunday.

According to a press release from Windham, the accident occurred at around 10:30 a.m. off an intermediate trail known as Upper Warpath. Malloy-McArdle, who was not wearing a helmet, is reported to have lost control and left the trail at high speed, crashing into a tree about 30 feet off the trail. Though early reports described Malloy-McArdle as a novice skier, McCormick said that she was an avid skier and had been skiing for more than five years.

“She knew what she was doing,” McCormick said. “It wasn’t like she was making these poor decisions to jump right into skiing.” According to McCormick, Malloy-McArdle circled “beginner” when she rented her skis, thinking nothing of it.

She was treated on the scene by two physicians and the mountain’s ski patrol, and then rushed by Greene County Ambulance to Columbia Memorial Hospital in Hudson. According to the New York State Police, she died later of extensive head injuries.

Friends and classmates, including McCormick, gathered at Mepham on Tuesday, where grief counselors were on hand. McCormick said that it was helpful to feel the support of all who knew and loved his best friend.

“The Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District is devastated over the tragic loss of a Mepham High School senior,” read a statement from the district. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the student’s family and friends during this difficult time.”

Malloy-McArdle, described as an outstanding student at Mepham who was a member of the national, Spanish and English honor societies, wanted to become an elementary school teacher. A natural with children, “she baby-sat half the town; she was a caretaker,” McCormick said.

Malloy-McArdle also worked part-time at Thrifty Beverage on Newbridge Road after school. Owner Joe Sciara said that he never knew a smarter girl. “She was a really happy, smiley girl,” Sciara said. “That smile said it all.”