By Marie Kennedy, The Mountain Times
Friends, family, and community members gathered on December 2 to remember Susan “Phoenix” Lane-Fournier, a 61-year-old woman who was found deceased near her Brightwood home on November 29. Her husband has been indicted by a grand jury in Clackamas County on second-degree murder, and unlawful use of a weapon with firearm charges.
The vigil took place outside of the Hoodland Bazaar where Phoenix had worked. Attendees braved the cold December evening to honor her memory. Through tears and heartfelt reflections, those who knew her best shared stories of her spirit and compassion.
There were moments of silence, heartfelt tributes, poetry, and music, including the resonance of singing bowls. At one point, an attendee took her dog to her vehicle to sit for a few minutes. When the sound of the singing bowl reached them, the dog began to howl. The audience smiled, and the group joined in, howling for Phoenix and her beloved dogs.
“She always knew what you needed,” said one woman, “She had everyone’s back, no matter what the situation.”
“I’ve worked next door to her, same shift, for quite a while now,” Sarah Wright Caswell said. “I’d always see her rolling in on her Harley…in her skirt,” prompting gentle laughter.
“She gave me such a sense of joy and personal strength,” said Vicky McAbery, “It’s been hard for me…that I didn’t know of all of her pain.”
Phoenix’s eldest son, Jesse, stood up to speak. He shared that Susan took the name Phoenix after losing her husband in a car accident in 2009. In the aftermath she rebuilt her life as a single mother to her two boys.
Jesse described the events around the day when police arrived to give her that devastating news. He described her as fiery, and feisty, and unafraid to stand up for herself. “There have been a lot of challenges that she’s overcome. A lot of things she shouldn’t have [had to] overcome, but she always did.”
In another poignant moment, Phoenix’s father came to the microphone and asked for James Evans, Phoenix’s friend who found her body. James was also among the friends who had pushed to continue searching for Phoenix despite the fact that law enforcement had suspended the official search. The two men hugged, as others expressed their gratitude to James.
“Look at how she is inspiring so much love, in all of us,” one woman said, “Her magic is still moving through us.”
Afterward, attendees were welcomed inside from the cold to experience the soothing effects of a sound bath, also known as sound meditation. Phoenix had planned to host one on the Sunday following her disappearance. In her absence, those who were mourning her loss found some comfort in hearing, feeling the music that she had intended to share.