SHERMAN — They say a little kindness goes a long way, and for a woman from Ohio nothing but kindness was shown to her after hitting a deer in the early morning hours in the town of Sherman last week.

Shaine Gentry of Eaton, Ohio was driving through Sherman late on Thursday, May 28 following attending the graduation ceremony for her son who had just graduated from high school. The ceremony ended at 9:30 p.m., and Gentry had to immediately hit the road after to make her way up to Ithaca to see her daughter graduate from Cornell Law the next day.

“I reached this little town called Sherman, and I hit a deer,” Gentry said. “It totaled my car. It was probably one of the biggest does I had ever seen. This was 1:45 a.m., and I was scared to death.”

Gentry called the police, who soon came to her aid, and who she said was unbelievably kind to her. Chris Mitchell, a New York State Trooper from Jamestown came to her aid, calling Rusty Weise of RA Weise Services in Sherman, who came to help tow Gentry’s car.

“I had my luggage and five gifts for my daughter in the car,” Gentry said. “He put all of that into his vehicle and took me to the convenience store.”

That convenience store, Texss Quick Stop, is owned by Stacy Phelps, who Gentry said was one of the nicest people she has ever met. Gentry described herself as being very scared, and Phelps took her in and helped her, giving her food and letting her have an hour for respite in her living room.

“She gave me $100 and then drove me from Sherman to Ithaca in time to see my daughter graduate,” Gentry said. “Stacy drove me with her boyfriend Ken, and we talked about how that’s like Ken and Barbie, and Stacy is Barbie’s little sister.”

With Phelps and her boyfriend driving from Sherman to Ithaca and back, all together Gentry said that was around a six hour trip for them. She said she was very grateful for all the help she received from these members of the Sherman community that night.

“They and Rusty too are just amazing people,” Gentry said.