Bad Links?
Other glitches?
Notify Webmaster

Fayetteville woman, son killed in Peru plane crash

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

Sherra Young and her son Stephen Lotti of Fayetteville were on vacation, visiting Bolivia where Lotti had recently finished his two-year stint in the Peace Corps, educating people about basic sanitation and building water towers to store water for the dry season.

They had visited the village where he worked, friends he had made, and they got to see sights he hadn’t had the chance to see, said Young’s husband, Jeff Young.

Sherra was enjoying her recent retirement from a 34-year career as an elementary school teacher, most recently in Clayton County. Stephen was preparing to buy a home in Athens and had a budding relationship with a smart and beautiful young woman he met while serving in the Peace Corps, Jeff Young said.

Sherra and Stephen died Aug. 23 when their plane crashed in Peru. The pair had departed Libya and both mother and son were on their way home.

Their funeral service was scheduled for 11 a.m. today at North Fayette Methodist Church. About 1,000 mourners were expected to attend.

“That’s how many lives they touched,” Jeff Young said.

Sherra was a teacher in the Clayton County Public School System for 33 years; most were spent teaching kindergarten. She was just a thesis short of her Ph.D., having already achieved her master’s and her specialist’s degrees, Jeff Young said. She was employed with Temp Primary in Clayton County.

Before his stint in the Peace Corps, Stephen had graduated from the University of Georgia and worked for an archeological consulting firm in Atlanta, all the while volunteering for the food bank and helping build homes for the less fortunate. He even paid his way for an overseas trip to do just that: build homes for the homeless.

With his archeological background, Stephen enjoyed visiting the Incan ruins, Jeff Young noted.

Sherra leaves behind two daughters, Krista Lowery of Peachtree City and Melinda Olver of Savannah, and a son, Joe Lotti of Norcross, in addition to her stepson Greg Young of Fayetteville and stepdaughter Jennifer Young.

The U.S. Army graciously agreed to allow Melinda’s husband, who is serving in Baghdad, to return home for the funeral service, Jeff Young said.

Jeff Young credited the U.S. Embassy and Mowell Funeral Home for making arrangements that were easy to work with. “All those people were just wonderful and very professional,” he said. “We didn’t have to do anything.”

Young also said the constant stream of family and friends has helped over the past few days.

A memorial fund has been set up for Steve and Sherra. Checks may be mailed to the Peace Corps Partnership Program at 1111 20th St. NW, Washington, D.C., 20526. Donors are asked to note in the check’s comment line that it is in memory of Steve Lotti and Sherra Young.