Suzanne Hebert watches the Spruce Mountain boys’ basketball team warm up in the Phoenix Dome in Jay in 2017. She was remembered prior to the girls’ basketball game Saturday, Jan. 22. Tony Blasi/Sun Journal file photo
JAY — Suzanne Hebert was remembered Saturday, Jan. 22, for her commitment to and support of first Jay and later Spruce Mountain athletics.
“She attended too many games to count at Spruce Mountain Middle School and High School,” according to an email Monday, Jan. 17, from SMHS teacher Rob Taylor. “Suzanne was a regular at basketball games and was presented with a bleacher seat that said ‘#1 Phoenix Fan’ on the back.”
A copy of a Sun Journal article about Suzanne Hebert and the bleacher seat presented her are seen during a remembrance held Saturday, Jan. 22. Screen capture
In February 2017 Sports Editor Tony Blasi wrote a Time-out column about Hebert.
Hebert passed April 9, 2021. A copy of that column and her ‘#1 Phoenix Fan’ bleacher seat have been displayed in a case at the entrance to the Phoenix Dome gym, according to Taylor. The high school has been waiting for an opportunity to remember her when fans could be in attendance, he noted.
That time finally came prior to the girls basketball game against Buckfield.
“She was born Suzanne Ouellette and grew up and lived her adult life just across route 4 from the school campus” Athletic Director Marc Keller said. “She began attending sporting events at Jay High School at 10 years old and became a fixture at athletic contests throughout her adult life.”
“Former Jay High School girls varsity basketball coach Julie Taylor is related to Suzie and grew up across the street from her on Ouellette Street,” Keller noted. “Mrs. Taylor remembers Suzie attending her games as a player in the early 1980s and as a high school coach in the 1990s and early 2000s. According to Mrs. Taylor, Suzie always had a smile on her face and she really looked forward to seeing student athletes play.”
Suzie was married to Andre “Frenchy” Hebert for 48 years. The couple could often be seen sitting in their front yard, waving to friends and neighbors who drove by.
“Suzie had many friends and relatives in the community and in her later years, community members helped her get to games so she could support her beloved teams,” Keller said. “As Spruce Mountain secretary Sally Boivin said, ‘There was always a good Samaritan that would give her a ride home after games so she did not have to walk home in the dark.'”
“It is also appropriate to remember Suzie at this girls basketball game, as she meant a great deal to this particular group of athletes, who even included her in middle school team pictures,” Keller continued. “According to players Jaydn and Jazmine Pingree, ‘We were always thankful for her support at games and even practices. We might not know what the crowd would be like at our games, but we could always count on Suzie being there.'”
Suzanne Hebert was remembered Saturday, Jan. 22, before the Spruce Mountain High School girls basketball game. Members of the team are seen with flowers later presented to Hebert’s family. Screen capture
Each team member then placed a flower on a table at center court that held the Sun Journal article and Hebert’s seat. A moment of silence was held to remember Hebert. The flowers, along with a bouquet from the Spruce Mountain Athletic Department were later presented to her family.
Hebert’s seat and the article about her will continue to be displayed in the case by the front entrance to the gym.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
