Mourning the Loss

My Missouri friend, Sheryl Stone, died last night. A sudden onset of a deadly infection took her life in a matter of a few weeks. I last heard from her in late August as she was excitedly planning her participation in the Labor Day Celebration in Clinton. She was to be a judge in the Miss Henry County contest, which she was doing a bit tongue-in-cheek.

Sheryl was the one who recruited me to work for DSS and she was my boss during my tenure there. After I retired, we met for lunch fairly often and remained friends. When I moved out here to Oregon, we kept in touch by e-mail. She was a good friend and a fair boss and a generally nice person with a good spirit. She had "retired" from DSS and taken a job as a Victim's Advocate with the Court. She enjoyed working, but was glad to be out from under the pressure of the Children's Division bureaucracy.

She was looking forward to full retirement and a chance to pursue her hobbies and interests. She loved to bowl and was in a league there in Clinton. She loved to shop and once on a "business" trip to Springfield, we snuck to the mall where she splurged on a very expensive bright red real leather purse. I remember her jaunty step as she carried that bag when we went to lunch soon after.

Tonight I mourn the loss of a special friend. May she rest in peace.