POPLAR RIDGE -- It was quite the show and despite some sadness, a laughter-filled celebration.

The life of Cindy Sharshon was honored Sunday before a crowd of more than 200 who gathered in the Southern Cayuga High School auditorium to remember their friend, teacher, colleague, and loved one.

Sharshon, 49, died of liver cancer Nov. 7. She had been diagnosed just nine months before. Yesterday, she was remembered through anecdotes, poems, and plenty of show tunes in a touching and heartfelt ceremony.

Her husband, Glenn Sharshon, urged the audience not to mourn. His beloved wife would have wanted, he said, to be remembered with happiness on the kind of crisp late-fall afternoon that was perfect to go for a walk with her dogs.

"This is not a time of sadness, this is a time of celebration," said Sharshon. "No tears, I insist."

Many in the audience could not help themselves. And after a group of students finished singing "Can't You See A Brand New Day?" many began to cry. Others put their heads on a friend's shoulder.

For more, read Monday's Citizen