RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — This Earth Day, family and friends of two women who drowned in the James River during a kayaking trip last year honored their loved ones’ memory while giving back to nature by planting trees in a memorial garden at James River Park.
Last year, 23-year-old Lauren E. Winstead, of Henrico County, and 28-year-old Sarah E. Erway, of Chesterfield County went missing after they, along with ten others, went over Bosher’s Dam during a Memorial Day kayaking trip. Winstead’s remains were found in the river after a three day search, and Erway’s body was found on June 6.
Almost one year later, on Saturday, April 22, some beauty was added to the Reedy Creek entrance of the James River Park system. Family and friends of Winstead and Erway planted trees and placed painted rock in a memorial garden dedicated to the two women’s memory.
Christina Brockwell, Winstead’s mother, said she hopes that people will come by and take pictures in the garden to spread her daughter’s legacy.
“We’re here today, on Earth Day to commemorate what their lives stood for,” Brockwell said. “It is not in their death that we live, it is how they lived while they were here.”
Since the tragedy last year, warning signs have been put up around the river at Robious Landing Park to let kayakers know about the potential danger of Bosher’s Dam.
