Sabrina Lynn Feldman, 31, who filmed the Hells Canyon Motorcycle Rally in Baker County two years in a row, died July 5, 2008, at Portland from heart failure.
Sabrina was born on March 30, 1977, at Portland. She had heart problems from birth that led to her receiving a heart transplant in 1997 at Oregon Health & Sciences University at the age of 20.
Sabrina possessed an excellent sense of humor, which she used to liven up the ward where she was hospitalized while waiting for her transplant.
Her family members said the current rules regarding the use of water pistols in the Cardiac Care Unit at OHSU were written in a vain attempt to keep Sabrina from surprising doctors, nurses, and the occasional passing stranger with a shot from a Super Soaker, which she kept within easy reach of her bed. Among her many accomplishments, Sabrina studied microbiology at the University of Oregon, made films for the annual Hells Canyon Motorcycle Rally, and was the founder and first president of the Portland Final Cut Pro Users Group.
Sabrina also possessed a great love of family. She adopted her niece, Sabrina Rose Chorpenning, when Sabrina Rose was an infant. Sabrina dedicated the remaining years of her life to Sabrina Rose and raised her using the sense of humor, patience, and grace that carried her through a lifetime of adversity.
“Sabrina was a rare and amazing human being and she will be missed greatly by all who knew and loved her,” her family said.
Survivors include two brothers, Trent and Matt Chorpenning; her niece, Sabrina Rose Chorpenning; her family, Tim Murphy, Ranae Ratkovec and Alex and Erin Murphy; her grandmother, Grace Feldman; her aunt, Jo Ann Feldman; her grandparents, Dale and Louise Chorpenning; her aunt and uncle, Lauryl and John Mack; her uncle and aunt, Kenneth and Miriam Chorpenning and their son, Colin Chorpenning; and her parents, Neil and Lori Chorpenning.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, July 7, 2008
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor