Warmth on Wheels
A Memorial to Cheryl Rossi
by Clarence Schadegg
Minnesota has suffered a
tremendous loss with the passing of Cheryl Rossi. Years ago, Rabbi
Harold Kurshner wrote about why bad things happen to good people;
a bad thing happened to two good people the evening last month when
Cheryl was accidentally struck and killed by a vehicle as she was
rolling down the side of a road in her wheelchair. The driver never
saw her.
Cheryl’s grace and spirit touched
many of us over the years since senseless tragedy struck her the
first time. Twenty-five years ago, Cheryl was found in an abandoned
field, the victim of a gun shot wound to her head. Cheryl somehow
survived that ordeal, which involved a three-day exposure to near
zero temperatures from where she lay on that cold snow-covered
ground. She also dealt with the resulting amputation of her legs
and one arm.
I met Cheryl at that time when she
came to us at Sister Kenny Institute for rehabilitation services
and for instruction with independent living skills for people with
disabilities. Since then, I’ve
seen Cheryl a few times at public events or on the bus. I wish now
we had gone out for coffee, too.
When I first heard Cheryl was killed,
I called my high school friend John, who worked for Minneapolis
Housing Patrol and rescued her from the snow back in 1981. He had
already heard about Cheryl’s
death. We shared memories of our relationships with Cheryl and how
we each drew from her incredible strength. The lump in my throat
was followed by a chill that ran down my spine when John recited
Psalm 121 the way he remembered Cheryl had done as she laid in a
near frozen condition those many years ago. John recalled how Cheryl
had recited the psalm in a calm and steady voice. He said he memorized
the passage in part due to her tremendous spirit that was passed
to us through those Old Testament words.
Cheryl also deeply touched Mary Schoelch,
the coordinator of volunteers at Catholic Charities St. Joseph’s Home for Children, who said, “Cheryl
helped children to discover life’s possibilities, an invaluable
sense of self-worth, and a more positive view of the future. Her
wisdom and warmth on wheels and will be dearly missed by all of us
at St. Joe’s.”
Schoelch further expressed Cheryl’s gift, saying she “was
a proactive advocate as well as a beacon of hope and help for children
and youth who have been abused, neglected and abandoned. She logged
thousands of hours assisting St. Joe’s to serve children most
in need by coaching, counseling, teaching, mentoring and providing
superior leadership for kids, staff, volunteers and the community
at large.”
Thanks, Cheryl, for
the light you helped us to find inside of ourselves. ![]()
