Westfield Mourns Teen 'Angel'

WESTFIELD, NJ - Her family called her their angel and said she was larger than life and full of joy. Ailish Campanile, 16, of Westfield passed away peacefully on Saturday, Dec. 15 after fighting against a countless medical issues with a smile on her face, her family said.

According to her obituary, she passed with the love and support of her family and will always remain in the hearts of her Mom (Liz Campanile), Dad (Victor Campanile) and brother (Liam Campanile), along with her large, loving family and friends.

Ailish was larger than life and full of love and joy. Though she fought through countless medical issues she always had a smile on her face. She lived every minute of her life to the fullest. She was an avid learner and constantly worked on expanding her mind and fighting for causes she believed in. She loved attending Westfield High School and being part of promoting education for girls around the world as part of Girls Learn International, the obituary said.

She was a member of the Rare Disease Club and ASL club. She loved binge watching Friends, Brooklyn 99 and couldn’t wait for the next season of Stranger Things. She enjoyed listening to music, exploring new places and visiting historical houses around the north east. Her favorite books were To Kill A Mockingbird, The Outsiders and Animal Farm. She watched Elf many, many times. She volunteered her time at Summit Animal Rescue Association, where she helped foster rescue cats, the obituary said.

The Campanile family thanked the families, friends, community, Westfield School system, doctors, nurses and therapists who went above and beyond for Ailish.

"You all gave her so much joy and friendship and we can never thank you enough for that," the obituary said.

In lieu of flowers, please feel free to donate to either Girls Learn International c/o Westfield High School, attention Hilary Haskell, 550 Dorian Road, Westfield, NJ 07090 or Summit Animal Rescue Association, c/o Julia Melton, 262 Myrtle Ave, Garwood NJ 07027 or www.sararescue.com.

Better yet, adopt a pet in her name, the obituary said.

(Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

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