ROCK FALL VICTIM REMEMBERED AS A HEROIC MOTHER.

Byline: - Bhavna Mistry

A Chatsworth woman who died trying to rescue her 9-year-old daughter from a perilous fall was described by friends and neighbors Sunday as a hero who put her child's life before her own.

Evvy Ross, 45, died from major head trauma late Saturday after she attempted to grab her daughter, Sylvia, who had slipped on a rock formation at Vasquez Rocks County Park. Instead, they both fell to a rocky ledge below.

``It's just so sad,'' said neighbor Sally Previde as she digested the news. ``She's just so friendly, the whole family is. They seem like real nice people.''

Ross' husband, Jay, spent much of the day at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, where his daughter underwent surgery for injuries to her leg, arm and lung that she suffered in the fall.

``It's a very tragic situation,'' said Deputy William Spear of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. ``She was doing what she felt was to save her little girl.

``I think she was doing what any parent or anyone would have done,'' Spear added.

The family of three was climbing in the area around 2 p.m. when the daughter slipped, authorities said. Evvy Ross reportedly attempted to grab her daughter, causing them both to lose their balance and fall about 20 to 30 feet.

Ross was airlifted to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital shortly after 2:30 p.m. and died about eight hours later of major head trauma.

Neighbors of the family were saddened to learn of the accident.

``It's a tragedy,'' said Arlene Weisbach who lives three houses down from the Ross family. ``They're just the nicest people.''

Neighbors described the family as a very close trio who regularly biked, rode horses and played tennis. Ross, a former technical writer, was a regular contributor to the Daily News' letters to the editor section.

In recent months, she commented on President George W. Bush's energy plan for California, the social interaction within the Los Angeles Unified School District and a San Fernando Valley police officer's nude photo in Playboy magazine.