Abigayle Schilling and Stacey Lynn Cash started a friendship in the third grade over a panda bear doll.

Cash had seen another student take the panda bear from Schilling’s bag, and she stood up for Schilling when they went to retrieve it.

“Ever since then, we hit it off and we started spending a lot of time hanging out,” Schilling said.

Schilling and others remembered their friend who was fatally struck by a car Wednesday, Jan. 22 in Lula.

Schilling described her longtime friend as a quirky, spunky sweetheart who would sing all of the time and loved being outside.

“She was full of heart. She was full of joy. She’d give the shirt off her back to anybody who needed it. She would help anybody who needed it if she could. She was everything,” Schilling said.

Georgia State Patrol said Cash, 21, of Lula, was walking northbound on Main Street near City Hall around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. 

State patrol post commander Auston Allen said Cash was walking in the roadway while wearing dark clothing and was struck by a southbound car. Cash died at the scene.

The driver, Sarah Moore, 68, of Lula, was uninjured.

Allen said no charges will be filed.

According to her obituary, Cash attended East Hall High School and was engaged. 

Another friend, Miranda Connell, said she got the call last night about her friend since elementary school.

Connell described Cash as a caring person who loved animals.

“She didn’t care if they were strays or not. She took them in. She took care of them, and she cared about her friends deeply. This is just heartbreaking,” Connell said.

Connell said Cash would often take walks to feel better.

“It’s basically a freak accident that shouldn’t have happened,” Connell said.