High in the Pine Nut Mountain Range, somewhere between mounts Siegel and Como, on a bench overlooking the expanse of Carson Valley to the north and the west, just a short climb to a summit where the Antelope Valley and Topaz Lake can be seen to the south, four white crosses are scattered in a swell between the peaks. Four of many others, just like them, scattered amongst the rugged summit peaks of the Pine Nut Range.
Most of the crosses are unknown and nameless to all that pass by accept to the ones who placed them there in the first place. I guess that is probably all that matters in the long run. But, two of them have come to have special meaning to me because, since those two particular crosses have been placed on the high peaks, I have come to know the families and friends who placed those two memorials up there. Knowing and loving those two families, and their friends, has made those crosses personal to me too.
Two young people, Keith Pomeroy and Sarah Rovsek, both full of promise and a love of life, have crosses placed high in the rocky peaks of the Pine Nuts. Both were in their teens and both had so much life left to give. But for right now, I want to put a face on one of the many crosses. This story is for Sarah.
Sarah Rovsek was in her last days of being 15. Her 16th birthday was just a couple of weeks away on April 22, 2004. Her parents, mother Barbara and stepfather, James Smith, had already bought her first car as a special surprise for her upcoming rite of passage into semi-adulthood. She was a sophomore at Douglas High School, a multi-talented musician in the Douglas High School marching band where she played several instruments. She played soccer and she was an excellent student. Her sunny personality and beautiful smile had made her loved by many. She played hard and enjoyed life to the fullest in every best way possible.
April 7, 2004, a story, written by Record-Courier staff writer, Maggie O'Neill, appeared on the front page of the paper:
"A 15-year-old Jacks Valley girl died Sunday, April 4 in an ATV accident in Lyon County. Sarah Rovsek died from blunt force trauma after her all-terrain vehicle rolled onto her, according to Lyon County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Mike Fletcher," the lead paragraph of the story read.
The Smith family had gone on a family outing to the Wilson Canyon, near where the Walker River enters the mouth of the canyon leading to the Mason Valley and Yerington. Sarah and her stepsister had begged for one "just one last ride" in the hills before they were to be at a barbecue in Topaz Ranch Estates at the Strauser household by 3 p.m. that afternoon. The Lyon County Sheriff's Office responded to the emergency call at 1 p.m. Sarah had been wearing a helmet and all the protective gear but it wasn't enough to save her life.
Last Sunday five quads and their riders gathered at the Strauser household. Sarah's stepfather, James, her surrogate "Uncle" B.J. Strauser, along with friends, Mike and Deana Webber and Brian Hardy, left to go to the mountain to paint Sarah's cross, a ritual James faithfully performs, every year. The Smiths, James and Barbara, were once residents of Topaz Ranch Estates, but now from their Jacks Valley home, their view of the Pine Nuts makes Sarah feel just a little closer somehow.
Sarah would have been 19 this last April. She would have graduated from Douglas High School and would have probably been starting her first year of college. She would've been at her sister Jennifer's wedding to Justin in Minden Park. She would've been an aunt to her adorable niece Chloe. There are so many would'ves that should've been for Sarah and the rest of the Smith family, as well as the close friends, who all miss her so much and lovingly talk about her so often.
So, there you have it, just one little portrait, attached to just one of the many crosses you will find when you explore the Pine Nuts. Treat them all with the reverence they deserve as you pass by, for they all have a story similar to Sarah's. Stop for a moment, if you can, pay respects to the life each one of those crosses represents, respect the love of the families who put them there, just a little closer to heaven, to honor their memory. We all need to honor the crosses and the memories they stand for, lovingly respectful, of what they mean to someone else.
Each one of those crosses represents memories for someone that will keep on keepin' on.
-- Jonni Hill can be reached through The Record-Courier at jhill@recordcourier.com or by calling 782-5121, ext. 213, or after hours at JHILL47@aol.com.
