Celebration of Life for Sherri West > Monday, July 6th

[Angela]

As many people in the area already know, on June 14th the mountain biking community tragically lost passionate mountain biker, dedicated volunteer and SORBAcsra member Sherri West. Funeral services were held Monday, June 22nd in Quincy, Michigan.   Sherri West Obituary

Her family is planning a local celebration of life for Sherri on Monday, July 6th. Details are still pending and we will relay them as quickly as we can.

The family asked that donations be made to IMBA, specifically the SORBAcsra chapter. Donations can be made directly to SORBAcsra via our PayPal button at sorba.csra.org or snail mail > SORBAcsra, PO Box 1351, Evans, GA 30809-9998

Here is a photo of Sherri working on one of the power line crossings out at FATS (Skinny trail) at a trail work party in early 2014.  She was a frequent volunteer at our scheduled work parties and also on her own frequently did trail work as needed:



Here is Sherri at our Hickory Knob State Park work party and Volunteer Appreciation event in 2013, happily accepting a volunteer reward:



We send our deepest condolences to Sherri's family and close friends, many of us are feeling this loss.

[beckyl]

Sherri will be greatly missed. She was a wonderful person and had a tough spirit. She loved mountain biking and hanging out with us ladies for rides. My prayers are with the family.

[beckyl]

I'm sharing a couple stories about Sherri that will always be remembered...and I smile when I think of them. One day Nevin and I were out riding Keg Creek, which is one of the more challenging single track trails in the CSRA (at least for me it is) and we came upon Sherri who was out riding by herself and had just finished taking care of a mechanical. We asked her if she needed any help and she said “no” and thanked us. We proceeded to pass her as she was taking off and I noticed that she was on a single-speed. I hollered out to her “hey, I didn’t know you rode a single-speed” and she replies “I don’t, I just broke my derailleur and had to convert it”. Well, not only was I impressed by her independence in getting out and riding a difficult trail on her own but knowing she had enough wherewithal to fix a mechanical that a lot of dudes can’t fix, she certainly raised the bar in the “tough chic” category, in my opinion.

The second story comes from the last time I spoke with Sherri. I ran into her in Costco and she was her usual happy self. I asked her why her shins were all scraped up and bruised and she said she had just returned from a weekend cycling skills clinic and while practicing riding a big log she crashed. She was giddy as she told the story because she had such a good time. All I could think is “ouch” but again, she impressed me with her attitude.

Sherri’s love of mountain biking was infectious and her youthful spirit made her a joy to hang out with. I know there is so much shock and sadness over her loss but we can all carry a little piece of her in our hearts when we remember the good times we enjoyed with her around. Here is a link that Barbara Drawdy posted with a story and some nice pics of Sherri after a fun ladies’ ride. I was blessed to know her.

sorbacsra.proboards.com/thread/3087/pics-cyclofemme-ride

[Angela]

Thanks so much for sharing Becky. She always had an easy smile and a friendly attitude. I really appreciated that grittiness she had in her approach to almost everything. She will be missed.

[Angela]

Here are the details for the Celebration of Life for Sherri West, the family has asked for an approximate count of visitors who will be coming from the mountain biking community (for planning purposes) so if you plan to attend we would appreciate you letting us know - [e-mail]

• July 6th, Eubanks Blanchard Center in Appling from 6 - 9PM - approximately 3 miles from Pollard's Corner (directions from Pollard's Corner)
• There will be light food and I know some plan to toast Sherri's life during the evening if you want to come prepared to do so
• There will be a box for donations to SORBAcsra in her memory at her family's request

If you have any questions feel free to email me at the email address above.

[Angela]

Just as a reminder the Celebration of Life for Sherri West is tonight>

Here are the details for the Celebration of Life for Sherri West, the family has asked for an approximate count of visitors who will be coming from the mountain biking community (for planning purposes) so if you plan to attend we would appreciate you letting us know - [e-mail]


-July 6th, Eubanks Blanchard Center in Appling from 6PM - 9PM - approximately 3 miles from Pollard's Corner 

-There will be light food and I know some plan to toast Sherri's life during the evening if you want to come prepared to do so

-There will be a box for donations to SORBAcsra in her memory at her family's request


If you have any questions feel free to email me at the email address above.