Sidney Yotts of Mill Valley, a student in College of Marin's Adaptive Physical Education program for more than 20 years, died in a domestic accident in April.
A bright, college-bound San Francisco native, Sidney suffered a profound brain injury at the age of 16, the victim of a drunk driver. For the rest of her life, she dealt with her hemiplegia and cognitive impairment with courage, humor and dauntless feistiness.
She cheerfully shared her strong opinions on politics (every president since Truman was "a horse's patootie") and theology (modern plagues have been brought on by the church "putting Jesus and Mary above God, as the Old Testament warned"), and joked with everyone about their shared imaginary exploits at the corner bar ("How did you get home last night? I saw you dancing on the bar with Jackie Gleason! They need to put seat belts on bar stools," etc.).
She lived alone, with minimal attendant care, at a disability-adapted apartment complex. She attended services every Sunday at Mount Tamalpais United Methodist Church, where her memorial service was well-attended by neighbors, classmates, College of Marin staff and church friends.
May she dance on the bar forever.