Funeral set for Lake Grove biker struck by car

Kathryn Underdown loved the outdoors - whether she was gardening, exercising, or riding her bike near her Lake Grove home.

It was while biking Sunday on Route 25A that she was fatally struck by a driver who police say was high on drugs.

After hitting Underdown, police say Nicole Shellard, 31, of Symphony Drive in Lake Grove, continued driving on Route 25A for another tenth of a mile before she struck another vehicle and came to a stop.

"I'm angry because this doesn't seem fair," said Underdown's brother Brian, 48, of Port St. Lucie, Fla. "She was a woman who loved life and this woman was driving down the street out of control and ran over my sister basically."

Shellard pleaded not guilty to the charge of driving while ability impaired by drugs and is due back in court Friday. She was ordered held on bail of $100,000 cash or $250,000 bond.

Underdown's funeral Mass is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Friday at St. Joseph's Church in Kings Park, followed by cremation.

Underdown, who was 45, grew up in Queens, Hauppauge and Kings Park before she and her family moved to Fort Lauderdale, where she graduated from high school, her brother said.

She later returned to New York and met her husband, Michael Slovitsky, at a gym.

"She was very athletic," her brother said. "She was very health-conscious."

Underdown had recently started biking and that Sunday she had set out for a late afternoon bike ride to Calverton, her husband said.

Underdown worked as a hair colorist and stylist at the Smithtown hair salon Enchante Salon and Day Spa, where she was popular with staff and customers.

"She was a highly respected professional," said co-worker Peter Valenti. "She was a very warm person and would do anything for anyone."

In addition to her husband and older brother, Underdown is survived by her mother, Patricia, 73, of Port St. Lucie, Fla., and younger brother, Kevin, 36, of Lake Grove.