Cassondra “Cassie” Stratton, the 40-year-old wife of a well-known Colorado political strategist, died when the Florida condominium building she was in collapsed last month, authorities confirmed on Sunday.
Stratton was on the phone with her husband, Michael Stratton, when the Champlain Towers South building near Miami fell early on June 24. She saw a hole opening near the structure’s pool in the moments before the collapse, according to The New York Times.
Lara Day, a spokeswoman for the Stratton family, said Cassie was identified on Sunday.
“Cassie meant so much to so many, and everything to me,” Michael Stratton said in a written statement. “Hearts around the world are breaking as friends and family accept the loss of a bright and kind soul with an adventurous spirit. That spirit now lives in all our hearts as we will forever remember the love she gave and keep her memory alive in stories that make us laugh and smile.”
Stratton said Cassie’s “talent and determination allowed her to accomplish so much in her short life and leave a mark that will last the rest of ours.” He said she fiercely loved her family, including her daughter, Ariana.
Cassie split her time between Florida and Colorado. She was a model and actress.
Michael Stratton is senior policy director at the powerful Denver-based lobbying and law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. He has worked on Democratic political campaigns for decades.
The death toll in the condominium collapse climbed to 94 Monday, and 22 people remain unaccounted for.