NEWRY – Shannon J. Fortier, 15, of 61 Fairlawn Ave. in Lewiston, died unexpectedly Thursday, June 22, in an airplane accident while on an ROTC summer camp field trip with two other fellow cadets and their flight instructor.

She was born in Pittsburgh, Pa., March 12, 1991, a daughter of John and Teresa (Muenzer) Fortier. She was educated in Lewiston schools and had just completed her freshman year at Lewiston High School.

She and her family have been residents of this community since 1995. Shannon was a member of Holy Family Church, where she has served as an altar server for the past several years.

She was a vibrant and athletic young lady, full of life, who was very active in her school. She was a member of, and had a tremendous passion for Lewiston High School’s Air Force Junior ROTC program, and had aspirations of becoming a flight pilot someday. She was also a member of the Twin Cities Swim Team and the Lewiston High School Swim Team. In addition, she was recently cited for academic achievement in mathematics.

Shannon was an athletic and adventurous young lady who loved the outdoors. She enjoyed mountain climbing, riding her Honda 230 dirt bike, horseback riding and bicycle riding. She liked her rock music and had a deep love for animals. She collected swords and loved drawing, especially caricatures of “Anime.”

She will be deeply missed by her family, many friends and by her extended family and fellow cadets of the Junior ROTC program.

She leaves her parents, John and Teresa Fortier of Lewiston; a brother, Jeremy Fortier of Pittsburgh, Pa., and formerly of Lewiston; her maternal grandparents, Patricia and Joseph Blythe of Pittsburgh, Pa.; her paternal grandparents, Ann and Norman Fortier of Worcester, Mass.; three uncles, Joseph Muenzer and wife, Donna, of Pittsburgh, Pa., Daniel Fortier of Worcester, Mass., and Kenneth Fortier and wife, Viktoria, of Connecticut; two cousins, Joshua Muenzer of Pennsylvania and Lisa Dellimonti of Florida; and her dog, Zoey, and two cats, Max and Milo.