OIB ANNIVERSARY: Family, friends mourn Emily Yelton

The family and friends of a Clemson University student who died in Sunday’s beach house fire in Ocean Isle Beach, N.C., spoke Tuesday of a young woman who had all the promise in the world, a young woman whose life ended far too young.

It was room filled with laughter and tears, but most importantly a room missing Emily Yelton.

“Fun, silly, loud, beautiful, sunshiny, selfless, she would fill the room up,“ Emily’s family and friends said.

Emily is one of the seven college students who died in the beach home fire.

It was a fire that separated twins that haven’t been separated since birth—same college, same sorority, and same apartment.

“I remember one time when they were infants we went in and they were in the same crib and one was sucking the other’s thumb and it was like this,“ said Jeff Yelton, Emily’s father.

“The only person I want to talk to is her. We could finish each other’s sentences. I would look at her and we would know what’s going on,“ said Meredith Yelton, Emily’s twin sister.

The sophomore at Clemson was a girl that everyone was drawn to for her ability to make others laugh.

“She was a fun, larger than life, she just filled up the room, she always had us laughing and she knew how to make me laugh,“ said Kim Yelton, Emily’s mother.

Emily was also remembered for her ability to laugh at even herself.

“She was so paranoid abut telling people she was six feet tall, so she just decided she was gonna tell people she was five feet twelve because it sounded much better than six feet tall,“ said Meredith.

At a time when Emily Yelton was on top of her game, making the best grades, as happy as she had ever been family members said they have no regrets because they know she’s not alone.
Emily’s with her boyfriend and best friend who also died in the fire.

“That’s one of the pictures that I’ve got in my mind, that the three of them are there in heaven and they were saying it’s ok, we’re having fun,“ said Jeff Yelton.

Emily Yelton’s parents said the medical examiner in Chapel Hill told them that Emily died of carbon monoxide poisoning, and that it was so quick she probably died in her sleep.

Wednesday Clemson University will hold prayer vigil in Emily’s honor and in honor of the six USC students who died.