Remembering Sommer Boudreau

The death of Sommer Boudreau, a 39-year-old Deep River woman, came as a shock to the small community, and it left her three children, Tyee, Tia, and seven-year-old Ashley without a mother and so many unanswered questions. She also had two grandchildren who are due to come into the world in the new year.

They will all face a lifetime without the woman they love and an uncertain financial future.

For that reason, those same family and friends have set up a trust fund in order to bring some type of stability for Boudreau’s family as they begin a new chapter in their lives without the guidance and love of a woman senselessly murdered.

Her body was found in the rented Deep River home of Adam Rossi, a man who was all but unknown by those closest to her. Rossi, 41, is charged with second-degree murder and committing an indignity to a human body.

Deep River Police and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have declined to say how Rossi and Sommer Boudreau knew each other, or whether the alleged murder was domestic in nature. Details remain scarce, but police in the Ottawa Valley town, with a population of 4,000 and home to hundreds of current and former employees of various atomic-energy related industries, were conducting a wellness check at the Rutherford Avenue duplex when her body was discovered.

Rossi is currently in custody at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre pending the completion of his bail hearing, now scheduled for Dec. 28 in a Pembroke court. A Section 517 publication ban is in place that disallows sharing of information during a bail hearing, along with reasons given by the judge, until the accused is discharged or, if ordered to stand trial, the trial has ended.

Her murder forced family and friends to relive a similar nightmare they hoped was well behind them. Nearly 13 years before Sommer's death, Ashley Boudreau, the younger sister of Sommer, was killed by her partner in the home they shared in Ottawa in January, 2010.

The murder of Sommer Boudreau has once again brought the issue of domestic violence and femicide to the forefront. If the accused is found guilty of second-degree murder, it will be the third similar murder in Renfrew County in 2022.

It is the same county that hosted a formal Coroner’s Inquiry this past June into the events leading up to the September, 2015 triple-murder of Carol Culleton, Anastasia Kuzyk and Nathalie Warmerdam at the hands of Basil Borutski. He is currently serving a life sentence after being found guilty of the three murders.

Sommer remembered

Typhany Stallberg, a childhood and lifetime friend of Boudreau, is saddened not only because of the sudden loss of a woman she calls “her sister” but she said a lot of the media focus has been on the sad irony that she and her sister died the same way. She said it is not surprising the issue of femicide has dominated much of the media coverage since her death, but she is concerned the life of her best friend is getting overshadowed.

Her best friend was born in Elliot Lake but her family moved to Petawawa when she was very young. She and Stallberg spent many summer days at Mackey, a tiny hamlet on the Ottawa River located 30 kilometres west of Deep River. It was there along the river where many lifetime memories were made. They walked to and from school every day and explored the world together.

 “A lot of the media coverage focuses on the loss of her sister and femicide, but I want people to know Sommer had a life and she made an impact,” she said. “Sommer was brave and a free spirit who loved to write and sing. She was raised in the small town of Petawawa where she grew up alongside her siblings Ashley and Christopher.”

Stallberg said her friend had a certain flair and style that made her stand out. Among those traits was her immense pride of her Native heritage.

“Growing up she was deeply rooted to her native culture,” she said. “Whether it was going to ceremonies, smudging and burning sweet grass and sage, she was always a proud Algonquin.”

According to Stallberg, her friend valued family above all else and she pursued her dream of opening a baking business, called Sweet Treats. As part of her business, she incorporated her children and her Native heritage. She loved having her children involved and they had recently delivered a load of bannock for a Deep River Christmas festival.

“She spent her time with friends travelling from house to house by foot or on bicycle and she loved family meals and occasions,” she said. “She opened a baking business that she took pride in. She loved having her children participate in the kitchen alongside of her. Her biggest accomplishment was her children. She would play alongside with them and enroll them in extra-curricular activities.”

Stallberg said her death not only brought back the memories of her slain sister, but to have it happen so close to Christmas is especially hard as Boudreau embraced all the traditions of the Christmas season.

“Sommer loved Christmas because it was a time to come together,” she said. “Sommer would make her Christmas cards to mail out and decorate her home with lights and she was close to her mother and friends and she was always showing up and reaching out.”

Raising three children was challenging enough but she faced the greatest challenge of her life in 2016 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She eventually lost her breast and combined with other life-threatening medical issues, she put on a brave face and emerged a survivor.

“She was beautiful inside and out,” she said. “Surviving cancer taught her about not taking life for granted and staying humble for it’s the little things that get us through. She was looking forward to becoming a hands-on-grandmother. Most of all she was a daughter, mother, sister and friend.”

About 150 people gathered in the cold at a vigil honouring the memory of Sommer Boudreau in Deep River on Dec. 19. It was organized by End Violence Against Women Renfrew County, which is part of a coalition of groups that gather annually in Petawawa at a monument dedicated to murdered women who were victims of domestic violence.

Sadly, her younger sister Ashley Boudreau’s name is one of the 26 names listed on the memorial.

A celebration of life is scheduled for Feb. 4 at the Royal Canadian Legion in Petawawa from 2 p.m. until 10 p.m. Stallberg said the day will be a day of reflection. She encourages people who attend to share memories of Sommer Boudreau with a strong focus on the strength and bravery of the woman she has called her sister for more than 30 years.

A secure bank account in trust of Sommer’s children and future grandchildren has been set up and anyone wishing to contribute can do so by sending an etransfer to justiceforsommer@gmail.com