Grief and ceremony met in downtown Sudbury Friday as community members formed a sacred circle, shared stories and offered prayers following the death of Leanne Jessica Pangowish, who was struck by a train in the downtown core on Oct. 20
“Hey girl.”
For those who loved Leanne Jessica Pangowish, those two simple words — and the warm smile that accompanied them — are what echo loudest in the quiet left by her passing.
On Oct. 23, more than 40 people gathered along Larch Street in downtown Sudbury, drawn together by grief, medicine, and the familiar refrain of a young Anishinaabe-kwe whose presence transformed the streets she walked.
Pangowish, 39, died on the morning of Oct. 20 after being struck by a train near the intersection of Elm Street and Frood Road around 9 a.m. The Greater Sudbury Police Service confirmed the investigation remains ongoing in collaboration with the Canadian Pacific Kansas City Police Service.
In the wake of the tragedy, a deep grief gripped the downtown core — a community where Pangowish was a fixture for years. To many passersby, she was a figure seen shuffling through the elements, her head pitched forward on a back bent in half, often without shoes, drawing quick judgments of pity or ire. But to those who truly saw her, she was a woman of profound spirit and beauty — a mother of three, a former model, and an artist who greeted kindness with a radiant smile.
On Friday, those who knew her came together not just to mourn her loss, but to restore peace to her memory and the pavement she trod.
Inside a sacred circle, mourners shared stories, wiped away tears, and honoured her journey. Smudge rose into the crisp autumn air, accompanied by the heartbeat of traditional drumming and sacred offerings. Following the circle, gatherers spread throughout the downtown with tobacco, sage, and sweetgrass to lift the spirits of those still living on the streets — those who shared Pangowish’s daily reality.
“I appreciate her struggle, because I was there myself,” shared one gatherer, reflecting on the shared hardship and unbreakable bonds formed among those living unhoused.
Marie Pollock, co-founder of Sudbury’s Temporary Overdose Prevention Site (STOPS), reflected on the deeper weight of Pangowish’s life and the community’s loss, noting that Leanne “left behind a lesson for the rest of us.”
Online, tributes have called Pangowish “resilient.” Yet those who stood in the circle were left to ponder a heavier question: What is resilience without choice? To her community, she was far more than a symbol of survival; she was a fierce woman who loved art, fashion, and music, whose beauty shone past the burdens forced upon her by a hard world.
Her family and loved ones expressed that enduring connection in her published obituary: “There is a love that death cannot diminish, a bond that time cannot break, and a place in our hearts that will forever belong to you… We will remember your beauty, your laughter, your spirit, and the person you were beyond the struggles of this world.”
As her journey shifts toward what the Anishnaabe call the Spirit World, those left behind take comfort in traditional teachings, praying that the ancestors welcome her with open arms and that her path onward is gentle, peaceful, and bathed in light.
A poem accompanying her funeral card captures the void left in the heart of the city: “Some sunsets are too beautiful for words, some goodbyes are too difficult to bear. And though the sky grows dark without you, your light will remain in our hearts forever.”
Pangowish is remembered as a cherished daughter, mother, sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin, and friend.
Visitation will take place Saturday, Oct. 24, starting after 12:30 p.m. and a funeral to follow at 4:00 p.m. at the R.J. Barnard Chapel, Jackson and Barnard Funeral Home (233 Larch St., Sudbury. Messages of condolence and shared memories may be left here.
Jenny Lamothe is a reporter with Sudbury.com.