By Dan Murphy
About one thousand Yorktown residents, and friends of Sheridan Gorman, came out to Devito Field on March 28 for a memorial to remember the 18-year-old YHS grad who was in the middle of her freshman year at Loyola University in Chicago when she was murdered on March 19.
A handout from the organizers provided information about Sheridan to everyone in attendance. Titled Our Darling, Daling Diva, it reads.
Sheridan Grace Gorman, 18, of Yorktown Heights, New York, did not simply walk into a room—she arrived. With a laugh that could fill it, a presence you couldn’t ignore, and a heart that made everyone feel like they mattered.
A proud Yorktown Husker, Sheridan threw herself into life the way she did everything—full force and full heart. She played field hockey and lacrosse, and bowled for Yorktown High School, and spent 8 years cheerleading, then 3 years coaching with our beloved Yorktown Athletic Club, giving back to the community she loved so much. Yorktown was her home, her people, her heart—and she carried that same energy and love with her to Loyola University Chicago.
Sheridan had big dreams—and, of course, she was going to make them happen. She was studying business with a focus on entrepreneurship and was already talking about starting her own beauty business. Not just because she loved hair and makeup, but because she wanted people to look as beautiful on the outside as they were on the inside.
And then there was driving… “Riding with Sheridan” was not for the faint of heart. Let’s just say inanimate objects were not always safe. But if you were lucky enough to be in that car, you were also lucky enough to be part of something special—because it usually involved singing at the top of your lungs. And what a playlist it was… One minute it was 90’s rap, the next, Praise and Worship. No transition. No warning. Just pure Sheridan. Hands up! We Gormans break for Nelly and Jesus!
Sheridan’s laugh—her laugh—was something you never forgot. It was loud, real, and completely infectious. And we miss it already more than words can say.
She gave us 18 years of pure joy, chaos, laughter, love, and unforgettable memories. She was our light. Our laughter. Our heart.
But more than anything, Sheridan was a cheerleader for life and for people. She believed in others before they believed in themselves. She showed up. She loved fiercely. She made people feel important. And we will carry her with us—always.
The ceremony included several friends and family members of Sheridan, who shared fond memories and stories.
Irish poems and songs filled the event, and the family expressed gratitude to the Yorktown community for lighting their homes green in Sheridan’s memory.
The ceremony did not include any political speeches, which was welcome to most in the crowd who did not want to hear that on this day. Yorktown Supervisor Ed Lachterman made brief remarks to welcome all to the event. “Today, while we mourn, we also remember, and we carry her light forward. Because Sheridan’s story does not end here.”
A representative from Loyola University’s campus ministry spoke about Sheridan, a member of the Crew and the Bible study at the college. “Her hopes were to find her people and explore her faith. I ask you to reflect on how Sheridan lived and invite you to do so. She sought to know Jesus more fully. Sheridan, you are deeply loved at Loyola and deeply missed. And you will live on in the lives you touched.”
Sheridan was deeply involved in Yorktown athletics, both while at Yorktown High School—where she played Field Hockey, Lacrosse, and Bowling—and earlier with the Yorktown Athletic Club, where she also coached.
Sheridan’s father, Tom Gorman, explained that he also graduated from YHS and returned after college to raise Sheridan and her sister, Maddie, with his wife, Jessica. “Sheridan was our job, and now that joy is gone. But seeing all of you tonight, we are heartbroken but not alone.”
Sheridan’s death has drawn national attention. The entire ceremony was broadcast on Fox News digital, offering those interested a chance to appreciate what Sheridan meant to so many. Please watch it at the provided link:
https://www.facebook.com/FoxNews/videos/1529233972249146
Congressman Mike Lawler remembered Sheridan on the floor of Congress, saying, “I rise today with a heavy heart to honor the life of Sheridan Gorman, of Yorktown Heights, NY, who was tragically murdered at just 18 years old.
Sheridan was a proud member of the Yorktown community and a Freshman at Loyola University Chicago studying business. Her life was stolen in a senseless act of violence at the hands of an illegal immigrant, leaving her family, friends, and the entire Yorktown community at a complete loss.
A 2025 Graduate of Yorktown High School, she was an athlete and a mentor known for her warm kindness and limitless compassion. Sheridan inspired those around her by competing in Field Hockey, Lacrosse, and Bowling, and by giving back through coaching young athletes through the Yorktown Athletic Club.
Sheridan was a lot like the Northern Lights she went out to find with her friends on the early morning of March 19. The kind of light that shows up quietly, bringing color to what was otherwise darkness. You are lucky to witness it while it is visible in the night sky.
Doina and I offer our deepest condolences to her parents, Jessica and Thomas, her sister Madeline, the entire Gorman family, and those who loved her. May her memory be a blessing and may she rest in eternal peace,” said Lawler.
President Donald Trump called the Gorman family to offer his condolences.
It was reassuring to see both Democrats and Republicans come together to remember Sheridan.
Senator Pete Harckham said, “This evening, I joined the Gorman family and the Yorktown community in honoring the life and memory of Sheridan Gorman. It was a beautiful tribute to someone who brought so much kindness and joy into the world. My thoughts remain with the family, and I will continue to keep them in my prayers during this difficult time.”
Assemblymember Dana Levenberg: “I joined hundreds of mourners in Yorktown on Saturday evening for a vigil in honor of Sheridan Gorman. Sheridan was a light and a source of joy for so many in this community, and her spirit lives on in the hearts of everyone whose life she touched. May her memory be a blessing.”
Yorktown Councilmember Lanny Gilbert said, “I was amongst hundreds, if not thousands, of fellow community members in attendance at a stirring, moving vigil for Sheridan Gorman. As a member of the Yorktown Town Council, I want to express, on behalf of our entire community, our deepest sorrow, love, and support to the family and loved ones of Sheridan Gorman. Sheridan was a beautiful young woman, a bright soul, and a proud graduate of Yorktown High School whose life was taken far too soon. The pain of losing a child is unimaginable. Having lost a child of the same age, I can only begin to understand the depth of the heartbreak and grief you are enduring.
Though we as people of Faith may never understand why tragedies like this happen, why terrible things happen to good people, we can find strength in how we care for one another.”
The Gorman family has been outspoken in their call for justice for Sheridan. “I want to say this gently, but honestly, as a mom. I’m angry,” Jessica Gorman said. “I’m like completely heartbroken, and we are going to fight for justice for our sweet Sheridan, and we’re going to fight for change. Not everyone will believe in what we do-that’s ok, but we all want the same for our children, to be safe and to come home.”
And that call for Justice comes in the form of changes to the criminal justice system in some communities where local and state law enforcement do not share information on illegal immigrants with ICE.
Assemblyman Matt Slater, Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne, and Congressman Lawler are three local Republicans who have been outspoken in calling for change.
As a fellow graduate of Yorktown HS, I applaud the Gormans for coming out and sharing their grief with the community. I found a post on social media from a former Yorktown resident who, like me, did not know Sheridan but was moved by her life.
“Late Saturday night, March 30, I was in our house in Georgia when I came across a link a friend had posted on Facebook for the March 28 memorial for Sheridan Gorman at Jack DeVito Field in Yorktown.
I did not know her. Many people I know did. The vigil was held on the field where we spent years building community—celebrating, remembering, and fighting back against cancer.
Saturday, the community turned out in strength to support the Sheridan family, demonstrating the unity and care Yorktown is known for.
Listening to her parents and her sister—such strength. They shared great, heartwarming stories that painted a picture of Sheridan, full of joy and love.
Her friends, her coach, her family friends, local leaders, and clergy all shared her bright and caring personality with the world.
She was 18. She should still be here. What Saturday brought to the forefront is this:
Sheridan’s spirit, kindness, leadership, and joy made an indelible mark on her community. Lighting homes in green honored the legacy she leaves behind and provided comfort to her family.
We’ve been in Georgia for 6 months, but after 26 years of Yorktown being imprinted on our hearts, we lit our sky in Wildwood to honor a bright light who continues to inspire.
Let’s be kind, pause to appreciate moments, and seek joy in Sheridan’s memory.
May Sheridan’s spirit continue to inspire us all.”
Jose Medina-Medina, 25, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, has been arrested and charged with murder.
Many believe that Sheridan’s passing is a moment for our community and leaders to come together to work toward positive change, inspired by her memory.
Assemblymember Dana Levenberg was one who said, I join the Yorktown community in mourning the senseless killing of Sheridan Gorman, a student at Loyola University Chicago. May she rest in peace. I will continue to follow this case as it unfolds.
“Following the identification of a suspect who is from Venezuela, some have begun politicizing this incident, blaming Chicago’s policies for our community’s tragic loss. However, ICE and CBP agents themselves have complained that the current quota-driven approach to immigration enforcement has led them to take their focus off of criminals and direct it instead toward anyone they can get their hands on. This approach is evident in Chicago, where ‘Operation Midway Blitz’ has succeeded in traumatizing hundreds of residents, including U.S. citizens, while failing to prevent this young woman’s death.
“If public safety is our goal, we are better served by policies that enable law enforcement to pursue specific problematic individuals instead of the tactics we are currently seeing from ICE and CBP. As we discuss these issues in Albany, I will continue to advocate for legislation that promotes public safety without abridging our constitutional rights. I hope that our leaders in Washington can engage this issue in good faith and partner with us as we pursue true community safety,” said Levenberg.
Two Yorktown High School graduates had this opportunity but did not take it. I searched for comments from Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Dave Matthews, YHS’s two most famous graduates, but could not find any.
