Community Remembers Phoenix Lane a Year Later

When people learned of Susan “Phoenix” Lane’s disappearance last November, the mountain community was shaken, even more so when she was found murdered eight days later on Nov. 29, and her husband Michel Fournier was taken into custody. 

Unfortunately, it wasn’t because something like this has never happened on the mountain, but because of what Lane was to so many — a mother, a sister, a friend. 

Dozens of people joined the search to look for her, adamant that she wasn’t a “missing hiker,” as law enforcement initially labeled her. And many mourned her death at a vigil held by her community on Dec. 2: the community mourns her yet. 

A year later after Lane’s death, her loved ones are still seeking justice and finding ways to keep her memory alive, as they await Fournier’s trial while continuing to feel the absence of their friend. 

“The next couple of weeks are going to be difficult for a lot of people up here,” Cari Gesch, friend of Lane’s and organizer of the Team Phoenix Facebook group. “I think we're looking for justice. Until the trial is over and he (Fournier) is convicted, what we went through, what we’re still going through, is not finished. This experience has changed me forever.”

“I am looking forward to the trial finally getting started in February so we can get justice for Phoenix and move onto healing,” added friend Christen Prudence. “Her story has been woven into mine. It is important to me that Phoenix’s dogs, Elros and Elrond’s, murders are also added to the charges. I don’t understand why that hasn’t happened yet, even if they were in another county. The fact that they were also killed just shows what a heartlessly cruel act this was, and not one done in the ‘heat of the moment,’ but one of thoughtful malicious intent.”

Prudence has been hosting sound baths throughout the past year. This is a practice Prudence actually learned about from Lane when she invited Prudence to experience a sound bath at the Hoodland Bazaar. 

The room where these sessions take place is now called the Phoenix Room, and Prudence hosts sound baths there twice a month, at 7 p.m. on the first Tuesday and third Saturday of the month.

“I can feel her spirit in that room,” Prudence has said. “It’s a very spiritual place for a lot of people. The mountain has a lot of people looking for healing and safety.”

Prudence’s session on Nov. 29 was particularly dedicated to Lane,with proceeds benefitting her sons. She also plans to host a Solstice Sound Bath at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 20. 

“I still think about and miss Phoenix every day,” Prudence explained. “Her kindness was imprinted on our community. She was a friendly smile, a helpful neighbor. She is in the birds that soar our skies, a dog’s howl, and in the rushing river. I feel called to bear witness to what happened to her and will continue to share her story with others so she will not be forgotten. I am honored to be managing Community Wellness events in the Phoenix Room at Hoodland Bazaar. The request for my help in doing so pulled me from a dark depression I was sinking into after everything that happened. It gives me purpose to bring offerings to our community that help bring us together to heal and get to know each other in healthy ways. We have regularly occurring yoga classes, meditation circles, sound baths, Reiki, and host a domestic violence support group facilitated by Clackamas Women’s Services, plus much more goodness in the year to come.” 

Before, and especially since Lane's death, community members have been calling upon state and local officials and service providers to help bring awareness to a history of domestic violence on the mountain and a need for resources. 

On Oct. 28, Clackamas Women’s Services hosted its first workshop on the mountain to hear from people and educate them as to how to be there for neighbors experiencing domestic violence. 

Community members who loved her still find ways to honor her in their events and traditions, and Lane’s spirit is believed to still be with them.

“We really miss her,” said Hoodland Bazaar Manager Khalid Kamahwee. “We have had people come back, the same time as last year, who bought from her and who are so sad to hear the news. She made everyone feel like a friend. Last year, she was the only person here to do the singing bowls. She was the one who started it all. So she brought that to us — more classes and more community services. Honestly, I know it’s been a lot for the mountain, but going through this situation, I see people coming together as a community and supporting each other, coming together like a family. This is what I see now: we have community workshops here, make this room a place for gathering as a community.” 

“I think there are a lot of steps that have been made in the right direction — Clackamas County Women’s Services was up here recently for a workshop, which was a good start. And they’ll be back on Jan. 6 in the Phoenix room at Hoodland Bazaar,” Gesch added. “There were about 15 people there. A lot of the focus was how to identify someone who may be experiencing abuse. But most of the attendees had been directly affected by domestic abuse. The next workshop will spend more time on how we can help. I will miss her forever in my heart. You know, I didn't see her every day, but every time I did, it was just magic. She touched everyone around her.”