Riley Rose remembered during a day long celebration across the Valley
On April 13, the Coachella Valley lost a ray of light. Riley Rose Sherman passed away after an extended battle with a rare form pediatric cancer, and the community mourned.
Riley’s funeral Mass and reception began at 11 a.m. at Sacred Heart Church in Palm Desert, “at the same place that she was baptized” according to a Facebook post by her mother, Kristin Sherman.
“The thing I’ll remember most is her fun loving spirit. (Riley) was always really happy and she always lit up the room whenever she came in,” said family friend David Sterling.
Sacred Heart School closed the preschool on Tuesday morning so Riley’s preschool teachers could attend the Catholic mass. Riley’s younger brother Matthew still attends Sacred Heart Preschool.
“She was a gift to us to get to know and she’ll definitely be missed,” reflected former preschool teacher Christine I’anson.
She was laid to rest at Coachella Valley Public Cemetery at 1 pm.
Later in the afternoon, a “Celebration of Life for Riley Rose” was held at Southwest Community Church. Hundreds of friends and family members dressed in luau garb watched a hula dance performance for Riley, who loved Disney’s Moana.
“She would have loved it today, she would have wanted to have gotten up and sang with them and been on stage, she loved to entertain people,” explained Riley’s parents, Kristin and Rick Sherman.
The La Quinta girl had been battling stage 4 neuroblastoma since August 2016, but was never alone in her fight, being supported by her parents, and a loving community.
From the early stages of her illness, Riley felt the community’s compassion; in October of 2016, CBS Local 2’s Brooke Beare visited the Sherman family and witnessed the support firsthand when 250 people donated hats and scarves for Riley.
“Look how many hats I have!” Riley exclaimed.
“If you look at (Riley), if she had hair, you wouldn’t know she has a stage four disease wreaking havoc on her body,” said Kristin Sherman. “…She’s always smiling. She loves having her dad take care of her, she has fun.”
When she returned home from New York in December, she was greeted warmly, with a hero’s welcoming awaiting her at Palm Springs International Airport.
Sunday, Riley was honored during Garth Brooks’ set at the Stagecoach festival.
The Sherman family has now vowed to fight neuroblastoma by helping find a cure. To support their mission to raise $1 million, visit Beat NB and donate in Riley Rose’s name.
“It is my mission, because I’m not done,” said Kristin Sherman during the Celebration of Life at Southwest Church in Indian Wells. “Because I’m not done. My child was lost to this disease, but 47 children a day are diagnosed with pediatric cancer.”
To donate to support the Sherman family, go to their You Caring campaign page here or send along donations through PayPal to kristinandrick@me.com.
Download the KESQ & CBS Local 2 app on iTunes or Google Play for up-to-the-minute breaking news alerts & more
More: I-Team and Stands for You investigations
Find us on Facebook: KESQ News Channel 3 & CBS Local 2
Follow us on Twitter for breaking news updates: @KESQ & @Local2
We’re on Instagram! @KESQ_News_Channel_3 & @CBSLocal2
Noticias en español: Telemundo 15
