Dear friends of The Shorrock Files,
I am deeply saddened to announce that my beloved daughter, Roxanne Gabrielle Leyland Shorrock, died suddenly on Sunday, March 17th, after a night celebrating life with her close friends. She was 35 and about to turn 36 on April 3rd. I and my family have been heartbroken and in deep grief since then. I know many of you know Roxy Shorrock from posts I have shared on Facebook and Twitter of us together over the years. This is something I wrote on Facebook about her. If you can, please also read the attached article about her passion for music (and writing) that appeared in the Washington Post in 2002. It tells you a lot about her spirit and love for words.
We will be celebrating Roxanne’s life at a memorial in the DC area in July and will announce the date, time, and place soon.
Roxanne was everything to me, and a very talented writer beloved to her circle of friends. She was born on April 3, 1988, in Washington and was a true citizen of DC. She loved its diversity and was a strong believer in social justice. She went to Blair High School in Silver Spring and went to college at the University of Maryland. Roxy loved music, and I’m so glad that I took her to two Bob Dylan shows – she loved his songs. I have had friends dropping by and many members of my family have come to be with me. Her mother Nora Leyland is mourning as well. It’s very hard to look at pictures of her because the pain is so sharp at the loss of my beloved only child.
The above picture is Roxy and I on my birthday last year, on May 5, 2023. Below is us at my place last Christmas, which we always spent together. The next shot is us at Brookside Gardens in Silver Spring, where she grew up and spent most of her adult life. The B&W is from the attached article from the Washington Post in 2002, when a reporter took her to her favorite band N’Sync after she ripped him to shreds for criticizing the band in a review. You can see what a great little writer she was at that age, with a wonderful wit which she had to the last. I miss her dearly and always will. Please think of me and her family and bless her spirit as the angels lay her away.
Love, Tim
Tim,
I am sooo sorry. I never knew Roxy, but I know you. I have known you at a distance but for a long time and, though I don’t respond, I have been watching and respecting your career as a writer and journalist. You are always on the right side of whatever question arises, from my point of view, and I’m grateful for your voice. That’s why I have to tell you how bad I feel about how bad you feel. Please take care of yourself and the rest of your family first before you get back to journalism. There are people who need you more than we do right now. Love,
Steve
I’m incredibly sorry for your loss. I’m really at a loss for words. I knew your daughter from elementary school through high school. She was always kind and funny & really good person all around. My condolences to you& your family. -Juanita