Guest Article
By Aaron Crawford
Sheena was a very bright and intelligent young woman, beautiful as she was talented. Looking at her you could tell at a glance there was more to this young woman then could be seen through the naked eye. I suspect even those who don’t believe in a higher power could feel the heavenly love she shared with all of whom she came into contact with.
Sheena Mendoza was always the first person to help when there was a crisis. She was the “strong one” everybody was able to look up too, it’s just who she was. She was able to take on the troubles of the world, lending a helping hand whenever it was needed (usually no questions asked). The reason Sheena was able to touch the lives of so many people in her young life was because of the strong family values taught to her by her loving family.
November 28th, 2009
Gage and I showed up to Hot Shots (Beaverton, OR) around 9:00 pm and saw that the pool hall was unusually busy that Saturday night, there were a whole lot of new and old faces there that night. You had Gary and Laura behind the counter, Chris B and Randy on table 3, Pat on 7, Long(time)on table 6 just to name a few. I started to look around and I noticed one of the regulars playing 9 ball with a nicely dressed young woman, she was down on a shot so I wasn’t able to really tell who it was at first, then she looked up and smiled and I did a double take—it was Sheena looking just ABSOLUTLY STUNNING with her long white jacket, black blouse and white slacks, a new hair style and a million dollar smile.
Later that night around 9:30 or so Sheena moved her stuff over to our table (3) she had a smirk on her face and a twinkle in her eye so you knew something was up and it was going to be in interesting night to say the least. It didn’t take long for the jokes and sarcasm to start flying back and forth between all of us; this went on for what seemed liked hours. I’ll never forget the amount of energy and spirit she had that night—she was just electric.
As the night progressed I noticed Sheena kept checking her phone so I asked her, “What’s up, you doin’ OK?” She said “Yes, I just need to call my Aunt’s house and check on my Mom to see how she is doing.” (the Mendoza Family has been hit hard this year with the unexpected passing of Sheena’s father Dennis on October 31, 2009) Sheena excused herself and went outside to make her phone calls, she came back in 10-15 minutes later. She played a couple more games with us and said, “I need to take off before too much later, I need to work in the morning”. She grabbed her Green Viking and her 1x2 case, put on her long white jacket, gave us all a hug and said “I’ll see you Tuesday for the tourney and I’ll make sure to bring my Pom-Poms.” She smiled. She walked out the door, case in hand and that would be the last time we would ever see her again.
Nov 29,2009, Sunday morning
Sheena got up that morning and got ready for work just like she would’ve any other day. Before she left for work that morning she told her Mom that she loved her, she grabbed the keys to the truck and headed out the door. Sheena showed up to the salon where she was the Assistant Manager. Sheena went to the break room and put her jacket away, got her clippers and started doing what she was passionate about, and that was being a stylist, the other thing she had a ninch for was getting to know so many people in such a short time, she was well known and people spoke highly of her.
Later on that day her ex-boyfriend showed up to the salon unexpectedly, she greeted him with a smile as she did with everybody who had walked through the doors of the salon. I don’t know exactly what was said but Sheena and her ex went back into the break room to “talk” and out of nowhere MULTIPLE SHOTS RANG OUT from the break room and in the blink of an eye the beautiful young woman who we all loved and cherished was gone for ever her precious young life taken so suddenly and so violently to domestic violence.
You might ask yourself “what can I do.” Well, you can take the first step, you can call the Domestic Violence Resource Center crisis line toll free 1-866-469-8600 or local 503-469-8620 (http://www.dvrc-or.org) and talk to the staff about your concerns, they can give you information and help on how best to assist victims. When someone is experiencing domestic violence, they often first turn to friends or family members for help. By learning more about domestic violence, you can provide life-saving information to your loved ones experiencing abuse. Speaking out about what you observe could save someone’s life. END THE SILENCE ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE!!!!!
“Continuing to keep her spirit alive”
Sheena Mendoza
May 4,1989 November 29, 2009
Memorial Contributions may be made to:
The Sheena Mendoza Memorial Fund
At any US Bank Branch
Or you can call Aaron Crawford 503-619-6404
For all other donation information
Phone numbers and website provided by
Domestic Violence Resource Center
Local 503-469-8620
Toll Free 1-866-469-8600
http://www.dvrc-or.org
Thank you to all of you for your help and support
Laura,thanks for all of your help!
