On Dec. 26, Haley Rachel Allen, Mississippi State University junior mechanical engineering major, died of spontaneous seizures.
Clay McMorris, Lincoln County coroner, said Allen passed away at her residence. The memorial service for Allen was held Dec. 29, at Riverwood Family Funeral Service in Brookhaven, Miss.
MSU will plant a tree in Allen’s remembrance. The location has not been decided.
Thomas Bourgeois, dean of students, said MSU plants a tree in honor of every student who passes away while enrolled.
Friends and family said Allen, a Brookhaven, Miss., native, had a genuine love for people, an inspiring personality and a strong passion for mechanical engineering.
Joshua Denton, junior mechanical engineering major and friend, said Allen had a flawless smile that reflected its own beauty regardless of what mood she was in.
“I first met Haley our freshman year at State at the honors orientation. She really had the talent to bring you closer to her,” Denton said. “She always made time for you. If she had a movie she was watching, she would text and see if you wanted to come over.”
Denton said Allen had a phenomenal love for the written word and had picked up painting in the last two years.
“She loved sunsets, which is what most of her paintings consisted of,” Denton said. “Her love for reading was so strong she would insist that I read certain books she suggested as well. I remember her getting me to read ‘The Great Gatsby.’”
Denton said Allen was a relaxed person who could inspire confidence in people and take away their worries.
“School and friends were the most important to Haley,” Denton said. “If you made a mistake, she wrote it off because she knew you were better than that. There was no hiding anything from Haley.”
Matthew Dunaway, junior philosophy major and friend, remembers Allen’s inquisitive character, thoughtfulness and seriousness about school.
“She was a huge Radiohead fan,” Dunaway said. “She also liked Florence and the Machine and Kid Cudi. Poetry was also her thing. We used to discuss the French poet Albert Camus, and she used to try and get me to read his piece called ‘The Plague.’ She was very opinionated about economics and politics, but had reason for what she thought.”
Dunaway said Allen was a great conversation partner.
“If we ran into each other, we would just sit and talk for hours,” Dunaway said. “It was always a long talk with Haley. That’s what made it special.”
Dunaway recalls Allen loved rollercoasters and space, something he said she was very passionate about.
“I remember she told me that she may get to build a rollercoaster on the moon one day,” Dunaway said as he chuckled.
Dunaway said Allen was a big comic book fan.
“She had hundreds of comic books,” Dunaway said. “Her favorite was Batman. She had a preference of the DC comics over Marvel. She definitely liked to read in her spare time.”
 Haley Allen was a member of the First Baptist Church Brookhaven, the robotics team at MSU, the Golden Key International Honor Society and the Shackouls Honor College. She was invited to China by the International Honor Society last summer and had obtained an internship at Disneyworld in the Animal Kingdom on Jan. 8, 2014. 
Family said Allen also desired to do Engineers Without Boarders.
Sharon Allen, mother of Haley Allen, said her daughter was a generous, great kid who never got in trouble.
“I remember she always stood up for people she felt were not being treated right. She had lots of friends from different cultures,” Sharon said.
Sharon Allen said her daughter loved watching “Lord of the Rings,” and “I Love Lucy.”
“She watched the whole trilogy of the Rings. I remember she wouldn’t come out of her room,” Sharon said.
Sharon Allen said Haley Allen loved space and was undoubtedly dedicated to one day becoming a mechanical engineer.
“She always said when she made it as an engineer she would give back,” Sharon said. “The fact that State is planting a tree in her honor is perfect because she loved trees. She even named her own trees at home. She absolutely loved MSU.”
At the Bank of Brookhaven in Brookhaven, Miss., a fund has been created for an engineering scholarship for a female student at MSU.