(no subject)
Medford woman falls off cliff, dies
By JONEL ALECCIA
Mail Tribune
Jackson County Search and Rescue workers used boats on the Rogue River Sunday to recover the body of a 55-year-old Medford woman a day after a fatal fall down a steep cliff near Grave Creek.
Cheryl Patricia O’Reilly died after suffering massive head injuries when she fell 100 feet from the narrow Rogue River Trail that leads to Rainie Falls, said Josephine County Sheriff’s Detective Sgt. Ken Selig.
O’Reilly was hiking with three companions, a man and two young children, toward the falls, about two miles downstream from Grave Creek, Selig said.
O’Reilly was unable to navigate the trail when it became narrow and steep.
Her companion and the children continued on and O’Reilly started walking back toward their car parked at Grave Creek.
Witnesses told Selig that O’Reilly, who walked with a cane, tripped on rocks about ½ to ¾ mile west of Grave Creek and tumbled over the edge of the trail.
A bystander clambered down the cliff to perform CPR, Selig said.
The accident was reported at about 5:15 p.m. Saturday.
Darkness and the steep, remote location prevented immediate recovery of O’Reilly’s body.
Josephine County Search and Rescue workers remained on scene throughout the night. About 20 workers used boats to help float the body across the river Sunday morning for transport on the north trail exit, Selig said.
O’Reilly, a former Mail Tribune employee, was remembered Sunday as a lively, big-hearted woman devoted to her two daughters, Samantha O’Reilly, 17, of Medford, and Jessica O’Reilly-Cowan, 23, of Miami, Fla.
"She was totally focused on her kids. They were the world to her," recalled longtime friend Alan Berlin of Ashland.
She also appreciated Latin culture and music, friends said.
Samantha O’Reilly recalled her mom’s zest for life.
"She loved to garden. She loved to dance. She loved good food and wine," she said.
Cheryl O’Reilly was active at Temple Emek Shalom in Ashland.
A service is planned for Thursday, although details are not yet final.
Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail jaleccia@mailtribune.com
By JONEL ALECCIA
Mail Tribune
Jackson County Search and Rescue workers used boats on the Rogue River Sunday to recover the body of a 55-year-old Medford woman a day after a fatal fall down a steep cliff near Grave Creek.
Cheryl Patricia O’Reilly died after suffering massive head injuries when she fell 100 feet from the narrow Rogue River Trail that leads to Rainie Falls, said Josephine County Sheriff’s Detective Sgt. Ken Selig.
O’Reilly was hiking with three companions, a man and two young children, toward the falls, about two miles downstream from Grave Creek, Selig said.
O’Reilly was unable to navigate the trail when it became narrow and steep.
Her companion and the children continued on and O’Reilly started walking back toward their car parked at Grave Creek.
Witnesses told Selig that O’Reilly, who walked with a cane, tripped on rocks about ½ to ¾ mile west of Grave Creek and tumbled over the edge of the trail.
A bystander clambered down the cliff to perform CPR, Selig said.
The accident was reported at about 5:15 p.m. Saturday.
Darkness and the steep, remote location prevented immediate recovery of O’Reilly’s body.
Josephine County Search and Rescue workers remained on scene throughout the night. About 20 workers used boats to help float the body across the river Sunday morning for transport on the north trail exit, Selig said.
O’Reilly, a former Mail Tribune employee, was remembered Sunday as a lively, big-hearted woman devoted to her two daughters, Samantha O’Reilly, 17, of Medford, and Jessica O’Reilly-Cowan, 23, of Miami, Fla.
"She was totally focused on her kids. They were the world to her," recalled longtime friend Alan Berlin of Ashland.
She also appreciated Latin culture and music, friends said.
Samantha O’Reilly recalled her mom’s zest for life.
"She loved to garden. She loved to dance. She loved good food and wine," she said.
Cheryl O’Reilly was active at Temple Emek Shalom in Ashland.
A service is planned for Thursday, although details are not yet final.
Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail jaleccia@mailtribune.com