Caitlin Byrd

Caitlin Eileen Byrd, 22, was killed by a truck driver near
Willows on Jan. 2 along with her boyfriend, Donald Perrott, 24.
Caitlin was born at home in the Hessel area of Sebastopol. She
attended Gravenstein Elementary and Hillcrest Middle School and
graduated from Ursuline High School in 1998. During high school,
Caitlin was twice awarded a creative writing scholarship from
California Summer School of the Arts. She was active in
cheerleading, journalism and volunteered for Operation Getting It
Together. After high school, Caitlin attended Seattle University
for three years as an English/creative writing major. She
transferred to Sonoma State University, where she took a geology
class to fulfill a G.E. requirement and fell in love with the
subject. She planned to pursue a career in paleontology or
hydrology. Caitlin always had strong values and as she matured, was
discovering the way that she could have an impact on the world. She
felt strongly about animal rights and was a vegan. She was
passionate about human rights and was politically active. She
planned a career that encompassed environmental activism. She was a
charter member of national “Talk Like a Pirate Day,” celebrated
annually on Sep. 19.
She was preceded in death by her sister Mahlah Byrd. She is
survived by her parents, Debbie and Peter Oliver, Terry Byrd and
Laura Goldenberg, all of Sebastopol, her siblings Briana Byrd,
Megan Byrd and her husband, Clayton Hermann, Lia Golden-Byrd, Emily
Oliver and Reyna Oliver and her grandparents Dick and Kathy Edwards
and Lois Byrd. Donations in Caitlin’s name may be made to Food Not
Bombs (checks payable to Peace and Justice Center), 467 Sebastopol
Ave., Santa Rosa 95401, Forget-Me-Not Farms, 5345 Sebastopol Rd.,
Sebastopol 95472, Men Evolving Nonviolently, P.O. Box 566, Santa
Rosa 95402 or the YWCA Women’s Shelter, 2235 Challenger, Suite 108,
Santa Rosa 95407.