The green lights that spread across Yorktown following Sheridan Gorman’s tragic death have become more than a symbol of remembrance — they represent a community united in grief, support and love for a young woman whose life touched so many.
The lights were chosen to match Husker Green, one of the official colors of Yorktown High School, where Sheridan graduated in 2025, and to pay tribute to a shade deeply woven into her life — from the prom dress she wore to the clothes that filled her closet.
The murder of the 18-year-old college student near her Loyola University Chicago campus became a national story, but for her family—especially her parents, Tom and Jessica, and sister Madelon—and the Yorktown community, the pain of her devastating loss has continued beyond the headlines and remains deeply felt every day.
On July 7, the day after what would have been Sheridan’s 19th birthday, the Yorktown Town Board voted to move forward with plans to build a memorial honoring her at Downing Park — a place that holds deep meaning for the Gorman family. The park was a cherished part of Sheridan’s childhood and is located across from First Presbyterian Church of Yorktown, where the family are parishioners and where loved ones gathered to remember her.
“Yorktown didn’t just know Sheridan. Yorktown helped raise her,” Jessica Gorman told Yorktown News. “This town put love, friendship, strength and joy into Sheridan. And now, when all of our strength is gone, we’re borrowing that strength from Yorktown. We’re borrowing that joy. That love that’s always been poured into her, is now being poured into us, and it’s an incredible feeling.”
A proposal for the memorial was first introduced to the Recreation Commission on June 4, when friends of Sheridan shared their vision for a lasting tribute.
“The commission was immediately moved by the thoughtfulness of this proposal and expressed strong support for creating a lasting tribute to Sheridan,” Recreation Commission Chairman Matt Talbert told the Town Board. “Within days, we met with the group at Downing Park to review possible locations.”
Talbert said Supervisor Ed Lachterman recommended the park "as an especially fitting location,” and after visiting the site, the commission agreed it was an appropriate setting. At its July 2 meeting, the Recreation Commission unanimously voted to forward the proposal to the Town Board for approval.
For the Gormans, Downing Park is a place filled with family memories. Madelon remembers spending countless hours there with Sheridan — swinging on the cable-wire swings, playing softball and bringing their dogs to the park. The sisters, known by some as “Tommy’s girls,” a nod to their father, who grew up in Yorktown and later raised his own family here, spent much of their childhood at the park.
Tom said Downing Park's personal connection to the family make it the right choice.
While the Gormans said their involvement in the process was minimal beyond agreeing to the location, they were deeply touched by the tribute.
“The initial answer was, and it continues to be yes,” Tom said. “We thought that was a great way to tribute our daughter.”
Tom told Yorktown News that over the years, Jessica and his daughters poured so much into Yorktown — volunteering, playing sports, excelling in academics and striving to be good people and good neighbors.
“You put all that time and effort never thinking it's going to be paid back to you,” he said.
The memorial is being led entirely by friends of the Gorman family, who are volunteering their professional expertise and resources to design, plan and construct the tribute at no cost to the town. Joseph Cermele, principal at KSCJ Consulting, Jim Pugliese and contractor Nick Caricati are among those contributing to the project. The men, along with members of the Recreation Commission, attended the Town Board meeting to express their support for the memorial and stand together in favor of the tribute.
“The two people who really had spearheaded this only know our family even peripherally. It just reminds you of not only the kindness of strangers, which is a very generic thing, but it is such a real thing,” Jessica said. “I think that Sheridan had so much confidence in life because she came from such a background.”
The memorial will incorporate the green lights that spread throughout Yorktown following Sheridan's death.
The tribute of those green lights has extended far beyond Yorktown, Jessica said, calling it “very special.” The Gormans have received photos from Germany, California and Illinois, with people displaying green lights in solidarity with their family.
“As time goes by the green lights on the porches are going to turn off, and we understand that,” Tom said. “This was a way for a green light to remain lit for a long time.”
Another element of the memorial will be a buddy bench, alongside stonework, flowers and the permanent green lights. Jessica shared the story behind the buddy bench during her June 30 testimony before the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement at a hearing titled, “Sanctuary Policies: Victims’ Perspectives.”
She told lawmakers about the buddy bench outside Mohansic Elementary School, where students who were feeling lonely, sad or in need of a friend could sit as a signal for others to join them.
Jessica later recalled to Yorktown News how nervous she was before Sheridan’s kindergarten parent-teacher conference, expecting to hear that her daughter was too talkative.
Instead, she heard words that now bring her comfort and pride.
Sheridan’s teacher told Jessica that she “stalked the buddy bench.”
Sheridan kept an eye out for children sitting alone, walked over to them and made sure they had a friend.
That was the kind of person Sheridan was, the Gormans said. They hope the memorial will serve as a place for people to remember Sheridan, reflect and find comfort.
Tom told Yorktown News that a portion of the funds raised through the GoFundMe established for Sheridan will be used to cover the remaining costs of constructing the memorial. Those who wish to contribute search "Sheridan Gorman Memorial & Scholarship Fund" on GoFundMe.
Before the Town Board approved the memorial, Councilwoman Susan Siegel raised the question of whether Yorktown should establish a formal policy for approving memorials on public property honoring deceased residents. While the board ultimately voted in favor of the memorial, Siegel abstained—a formal decision not to vote either yes or no—saying she supported honoring Gorman but believed the town should establish a consistent process for future memorial requests.
“I wasn't voting against the memorial. I just wanted a pause so the town could adopt a policy with standards for memorials—what type of memorial was appropriate and for what location,” Siegel later told Yorktown News.
The discussion provoked heightened emotions during the meeting and continued to draw strong reactions on social media afterward. Following the vote, members of the Recreation Commission told Yorktown News outside Town Hall that they were disappointed by Siegel’s comments and expressed disappointment with her decision to raise the issue of a policy in connection with this particular memorial proposal.
In the days following the meeting, Siegel told Yorktown News that she stood by her comments and belief that the town needs a formal policy for memorials.
“Sheridan’s horrific death was undeniably a tragic loss for our community. My abstention was in no way disrespecting Sheridan or her family,” Siegel said. “I never said I was against the memorial. What I did say was that before proceeding with the memorial, and a second memorial for another deceased resident that was being planned, the town should consider what so many other municipalities have done: adopt a policy that would bring clarity and consistency to how and where the town memorializes deceased residents.”
The second memorial Siegel referenced is the naming of the Yorktown Police Department in honor of Capt. Kenneth Sgroi, who died suddenly following an illness. The Town Board approved a resolution Jan. 10, 2023, designating the building as the Captain Kenneth Sgroi Public Safety Complex and Plaza. Police officials recently said "Captain Kenneth Sgroi Plaza" lettering will soon be installed on the front of police headquarters.
“As a town official, my job is to consider what’s in the best long term interest of our entire community,” Siegel said. “And with two new memorials being considered, now seemed an appropriate time for such a policy.
While Siegel said her concerns were focused on creating a consistent process for future memorials, others at the meeting viewed the timing of the policy discussion differently.
“That is exactly why I asked the Recreation Commission to come before the Town Board, so it can be done in unity,” Lachterman said at the meeting. “I agreed with you [Siegel] with the fact that we need to look down the road to see what we need.”
However, Lachterman said he does not believe the policy issue needed to be addressed before moving forward with the Sheridan Gorman memorial.
“This one is an open wound in our community,” Lachterman said. “I think that this is something that we need to begin the healing.”
The Gormans said that, above all else, they are grateful. Asked about the Town Board meeting and the backlash directed at Siegel, they said their focus remains on honoring Sheridan and the outpouring of support from the community. The family did not attend the meeting and said has largely stayed off social media.
“We don't have any animosity toward anyone. I personally understand both sides,” Jessica said. “I think that there's a protectiveness around Sheridan—so many people knew her—and a protectiveness around our family that we deeply appreciate.”
Jessica said the family does not know Siegel personally and that she harbors no ill will toward her.
In a statement following the approval, the Recreation Commission told Yorktown News it was “grateful” for the Town Board’s approval.
“If, at some point in the future, the Town Board chooses to discuss whether guidelines for memorials on Town property would be beneficial, the Recreation Commission would appreciate the opportunity to participate in that conversation and share its perspective and experience,” the statement read, in part. “Until then, the Commission remains committed to carefully considering each proposal on its own merits and making recommendations based on what is in the best interest of the community.”
For now, however, the commission said its focus is “on seeing this memorial become a place of remembrance, reflection, and healing for Sheridan's family, friends, and the entire Yorktown community.”
The resolution authorizing the placement of the memorial echoed this sentiment.
“Sheridan’s death deeply affected not only her family and friends, but also the broader Yorktown community, which came together in grief, remembrance, and unwavering support for the Gorman family,” the resolution read in part. “The Recreation Commission finds that the circumstances surrounding Sheridan Gorman’s passing and the collective grief experienced throughout the Town of Yorktown, warrant special consideration and constitute an extraordinary exception.”
Construction is expected to begin in the fall.
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