Monument Proposed for Teen Killed in Fall

Plans are being developed for a memorial for the 19-year-old student who fell from a balcony last month in Hawaii.

City Council members are expected to vote Wednesday on the best way to honor the memory of John Sherwood, who served on the city’s Teen Council.

Mary Lindley, director of community services for Moorpark, suggested turning a grove of apricot trees in Arroyo Vista Park off Tierra Rejada Road into a memorial.

The city would pay $3,000 for a monument sign, plus $225 for a new tree, she said.

Lindley said plans would include eventually expanding the memorial to allow Moorpark residents the opportunity to buy plaques in honor of deceased loved ones.

Sherwood would be the first person listed on a bronze, engraved plaque placed on the monument, Lindley said.

Lindley, who knew Sherwood, also suggested starting a scholarship in his name. Low-income residents wanting to take part in recreation programs or classes could apply for the funds.

“The council wants to recognize his service as a Teen Council member,” said Lindley, who remembered Sherwood for his enthusiastic approach to whatever he did.

Sherwood died Sept. 29 when a balcony railing gave way at the Ala Moana Tower in Oahu. He and an 18-year-old friend were attending a party on the 11th floor of the building. The railing broke and the two fell eight floors, landing on a third-story parking garage. Sherwood’s friend survived the fall and remains hospitalized.

Sherwood was a communications major who graduated from Moorpark High School and attended Moorpark College. He had recently started classes at Hawaii Pacific University.