A memorial cherry tree is being planted Friday morning at Nanaimo’s Departure Bay walkway in honour of Lisa Marie Young and other missing and murdered Indigenous women.
The Nanaimo woman was 21 when she was last heard from in a text to a friend early on the morning on June 30, 2002. It said: “Come get me. They won’t let me leave.”
She had been planning to start work at a call centre and wanted to earn some money to help support one of her brothers,, friend Cyndy Hall said Wednesday from Nanaimo.
Young was considering going to school to become a sports broadcaster because she was passionate about sports and a fan of the Vancouver Canucks, Hall said.
Family and friends remember a cheerful, friendly and outgoing young woman who loved clothes. “She was always happy,” said Hall, who said her friend was popular, easy-going and kind.
Young’s supporters, who chose the tree, picked a blossoming cherry tree because Young was “really girly” and her birthday was May 5, Hall said. They hope it will blossom around that time.
Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog said it’s hoped that the dedication of the tree at Departure Bay “will provide comfort to everyone that loves and misses Lisa.”
“The loss of this talented young person is deeply felt by her family, her friends and her entire community,” he said, adding: “We hope, too, that this tree will be meaningful for the families, friends and loved ones of all other missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit people.”
A group of family and friends determined to keep Young’s memory alive hold a march through the city every year.
Young’s mother, Marlene Joanne Young, who was from the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation at Tofino, was behind the march until she died in 2017.
The tree-planting event starts at 10:30 a.m. at the north end of the waterfront walkway.
Moses Martin, Young’s grandfather, will say an opening prayer and there will be a land acknowledgement followed by speeches, Hall said.
A list of missing and murdered Indigenous woman from Nanaimo will be read, followed by a moment of silence. Soil will be shovelled onto the tree by loved ones.
Two RCMP officers, who attend all events related to Young and who are leading the investigating into her disappearance, will be on hand, Hall said.
Supporters hope that one day someone will reveal the location of Young’s remains, or tip off the RCMP about what happened. A $50,000 US reward has been offered by an anonymous donor to find Young’s remains.
“Lisa has been missing for 22 years and we still haven’t brought her home. There have been no arrests and we have nowhere to go to mourn her. That is why the tree planting is so important to her loved ones,” Hall said.
“People out there know what happened and they are not coming forward and there’s no excuse anymore.”
Hall had the idea for a tree after recalling a tree planted in Michael Dunahee’s memory. The Victoria boy was four years old when he disappeared from a school playground 33 years ago.
The tree dedication is through City of Nanaimo’s Tree Donation Program. City staff worked closely with Young’s family, friends and supporters.
Hall praised city hall, saying staff have “been amazing. They’ve been so respectful.”
