ELGIN — A blue bench was unveiled near the main ball field near Pope John School on Saturday afternoon.
Created by Clyde Stuhr of Patriot’s Landing at Petersburg, it was dedicated to the memory of an Elgin softball player we have never forgotten.
Friends and family of the late Shari Schiltmeyer were present, gathered in a half-circle for the unveiling.
Schiltmeyer’s parents – Carol and Jim Schiltmeyer along with Shari’s sister Crystal Dubas, unveiled the blue-colored bench. What followed in the minutes afterwards were hugs, some tears and the sharing of memories now more than 20 years old.
Located in the shade of trees on the west side of the ball diamond, it’s there to remind everyone who comes to the ball park there once was a ballplayer who loved the game of softball. From the bench its easy to imagine seeing the field the way Shari did playing first base or racing out of the batter’s box after hitting the ball.
Her uniform number was 26. She was, by all accounts, one of the best players on the team as shown by her play on the field.
She died in a one-vehicle accident at the age of 16 on July 13, 2003.
Since then Kim Fangman and others started a scholarship in her memory. Car washes were held, so too bake sales handled by softball players to raise funds for the scholarships. In the spring, just before school was let out and after softball practice had begun, the announcement was made of the scholarship recipient.
