Maritime Tribute Honors Paddleboarder Who Lost Life in Maine

ST. GEORGE, Maine (AP) — In a touching maritime ceremony on Sunday, the life of a Maine woman, whose tragic death on a secluded pond shook the local community, was honored by friends and family.

Sunshine Stewart, 48, of St. George, went missing in July while paddleboarding on Crawford Pond, a popular summer destination in Union. She was later found dead, and police charged Deven Young, 17, of Frankfort, Maine, with murder in connection with her death.

Stewart’s loved ones called Sunday’s memorial a “maritime celebration of life.” The memorial included a procession of boats, some decked out with flowers, in the Tenants Harbor section of St. George, where Stewart lived. On the boats were pictures of Stewart smiling and a large sign that read, “Shine On.”

The event was to honor “the radiant life of Sunshine ‘Sunny’ Stewart — a woman whose light touched every soul she met,” promoters said in a social media post.

The Office of the Maine Attorney General has said it is seeking to try Young as an adult. A judge will need to rule on that request. Young is due in court for a status conference on Aug. 22.

Young made a brief initial court appearance last month in which he entered a denial to the murder charge. His attorney, Jeremy Pratt, has declined to comment.

Authorities have released few details about the killing and have not publicly speculated about a motive. Maine State Police spokesperson Shannon Moss said the investigation into Stewart’s death is still active and “will be for some time.”

Stewart lived about 20 miles (34 kilometers) from the pond where she was killed. The pond is popular with boaters and fishermen and is the site of a campground. Police have said a medical examiner determined Stewart’s cause of death was strangulation and blunt force trauma.

In the weeks since the killing, friends of Stewart have memorialized her as an independent spirit, a dedicated friend and a lover of the ocean and the outdoors. She took a varied career path through life, working as a biologist, fisherman, carpenter and in many other roles, friends said.

Bethany Leach Parmley, a lifelong friend, described Stewart as “a really loyal, wonderful friend.”