Christopher Matthew Hershman

Christopher departed this life on December 22,2023, unexpectedly, at his home in Ranch Lake, Florida. He was born on September 1, 1975, in Martinsville, Virginia. He is survived by his mother, Susan Galloy of Little River, S.C.; His father, Gary Mitchell Hershman and stepmother, Linda Friend Hershman of Lakewood Ranch, FL; his uncle and aunt, Brad and Janrosé Morton of Beaufort, SC. He was preceded in death by his brother, Gary Michael Hershman; his maternal grandparents, Hamp and Jackie Morton of Webster Springs, WV: and paternal grandparents, Murl and Georgia Hershman of Webster Springs, WV; Uncle and aunt, Robert and Betty Hershman of Walla Walla, WA. Chris attended Salem, Virginia public schools and graduated with honors from Randolph Macon Academy in Front Royal VA. He was an outstanding athlete in high school, earning first team all state honors in both football and baseball. He led the state with 8 interceptions in football. He was also named "Athlete of The Year" at Randolph Macon Academy. He chose not to play sports in college due to the fact that he was relatively small for that level of competition. He enrolled in his dream college. West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV. After two years he departed with some friends to the mountains of Colorado with his mountain bike and snowboard. He was quickly employed by Yeti Mountain Bike Corporation and performed various tasks assembling high end mountain bikes. When that company decided to relocate to California, he departed to Salt Lake City and gained employment with Specialized, another bicycle manufacturer. He remained there in a mecca for skiing and mountain biking for a couple more years and then decided to move to the Phoenix, Arizona area to be near his brother, Michael. There he quickly gained employment with REI corporation, a company that marketed various types of outdoor clothing and equipment. This company encouraged employees to get involved in community projects like trail building and maintenance and various other environmentally friendly projects. At the end of his third year of employment, he was named "Employee of The Year" and was so honored at the corporate headquarters in Seattle, Washington. He later moved back to Northern West Virginia and lived and worked in food and hospitality industry, while living in the small community of Arden, the home of his maternal grandmother. He remained there until 2017 when he moved south to be near his father and stepmother in Lakewood Ranch Florida. He quickly gained employment at Leroy Selman's Sports Restaurant (later renamed Glory Days). He was their "Swiss Army Knife) performing various task for the chain and was deemed a "corporate trainer". He and a team of people would open new restaurant locations in Florida and Georgia and hire and train staff. He remained there until his untimely death on December 22, 2023. Christopher Matthew Hershman was always a "worker bee" with kindness in his heart. During his entire life, he worked hard at his job and went out of his way to be kind to everyone. He left this life way too soon and will be missed dearly by those who were fortunate enough to have felt his kindness. In lieu of flowers," A Christopher Hershman Memorial Locker" is being established in his honor at the WVU Baseball Complex. Donations for this can be mailed to 3450 Monongahela Blvd, C\O Matt Waggoner, Room 220, Morgantown, WV 26507. Make checks payable to "Mountaineer Athletic Club" and then in the memo; "Christopher Hershman Baseball Locker." Donations can be tax deductible. Thanks in advance for your kindness.

Tributes

Christopher Matthew Hershman

September 1, 1975 - December 22, 2023