TENANTS HARBOR, Maine — Sunshine “Sunny” Stewart was a force of nature who was a fierce advocate for friends, human rights and women’s rights.
Stewart, 48, died last week after going paddle boarding on Crawford Pond in Union. Maine State Police classified her death as a homicide. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing, suggesting her killer is still at large, but police have not indicated there is any danger to the public.
Friends are recalling a woman who crossed paths with many people in her life and left each of them better off for knowing her.
Stewart grew up in the Union area and attended Medomak Valley High School. She bought and rehabbed her own home in Tenants Harbor.
“She rebuilt her own house including the slate roof and siding. She was her own HGTV. She was a strong, self-made woman,” said longtime friend Stacey Yandell of Lincolnville. “She could do it all. She could pick up on any skill or trade.”
Stewart also worked as a waitress, bartender, fisherman and carpenter.
Stewart also had the ability to grow her own community, wherever she was, Yandell recalled.
“She had such a strong personality. She radiated positivity and love. She was like a magnet. People were attracted to her,” Yandell said.
And if you hadn’t been in touch in months and either called or ran into her, you would pick up the friendship without missing a beat, she said.
“She was just a light that lit up the room. People were attracted to her because of that personality,” she said.
Michael Taylor, a friend who now lives in Oregon, said whenever he thinks of the Midcoast, he thinks of Stewart.
“She carried this adventurous spirit without fear. She never hesitated when facing a challenge,” Taylor said.
He talked about how they both spent time in Saint John, Virgin Islands. She also decided to take a vacation to Belize and asked if he was interested. She rented an apartment for a month there; she spent two weeks in the apartment, and he had some friends spend the final two weeks there.
Stewart had a special connection with the ocean and the environment, he noted. Both attended Bradford College in Haverhill, Massachusetts, where Stewart studied environmental science. He first met her at Gilbert’s Publick House in Camden, where a group of friends would congregate. They shared their stories of Bradford but also had the same taste in music.
Taylor agreed with Yandell in that the friendship remained strong and didn’t miss a beat no matter how long you had been out of touch. Many other friends are posting their remembrances of her on social media with the common thread of her being a strong woman who made deep connections.
Stewart never married or had children but had a few long-term relationships. She had a sister, a brother, and nephews she loved dearly, friends say.
Stewart had rented a camper and was planning to spend the summer at Mic Mac Campground in Union. Yandell said they talked recently about getting together at the pond and paddleboarding. Stewart had been at the campground only a couple of days when she died.
Police say Stewart had gone out paddleboarding by herself at 6 p.m. last Wednesday from Mic Mac Campground. State Police are asking anyone who saw her or anything around 100 Acre Island between 6 and 9 p.m. last Wednesday to contact them at 207-624-7076.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office was called shortly before 12:30 a.m. on July 3 and told that Stewart had not returned after going paddleboarding. The Union Fire Department responded and, with assistance from a Rockland Police Department aerial drone, searched for the woman. Maine Game Wardens were also called in shortly after 1 a.m. to assist in the search. Her body was located about dawn on Thursday. State Police said circumstances at the scene led the Warden Service to contact the State Police, who took over the investigation.
Police have not released the cause of death other than that it was a homicide, based on the autopsy done by the Maine medical examiner. Police issued a statement, saying members of the public are encouraged to “remain aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious behavior to law enforcement.”
The 100 Acre Island is located in Crawford Pond. The pond has no public access and the shoreline is owned by private individuals and the campground.
Georges River Land Trust maintains the 100 Acre Island Preserve, which is open to the public for day use and limited overnight camping by permission of the land trust.
Yandell said she and Stewart were soul sisters.
“She had a part of my soul in her and I had a part of her soul in me,” she said.
