THUNDER BAY — Sebastian Towegishig would have loved to see his father and stepmother marry, says stepmom Carrie Sutherland.
Tragically he didn’t live to see it happen, because a bullet took his life last October in Ginoogaming.
Sutherland is making plans with the slain 27-year-old’s dad, Charlie Martin, for a wedding in June and a shag — or “stag and doe,” as Constance Lake native Sutherland calls it — fundraiser on March 14.
He popped the question before Sebastian’s passing and then they were thrown for a loop by the tragedy.
“We didn’t know what to do, but then we decided to get married,” Sutherland said recently in an interview at her kitchen table, a few steps away from a corner display of photos of her stepson.
“We were stuck for a while,” Martin concurred, adding that they know Sebastian would have loved to see dad and stepmom officially get hitched after many years of being a couple.
Sebastian’s death struck the couple’s hearts as one of them was still adjusting to new lungs.
Martin, diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, had a double lung transplant in October 2024.
“My body could reject it any time,” he said of the lung transplant. “I’m taking it day by day.”
Martin also lost a sister, who died a few months before the shooting.
He proposed to Sutherland, who he met years earlier at a rock concert in Toronto, a few months before the fatal gunfire rang out in Ginoogaming, Martin’s home community.
“We didn’t know what to do for a while (after the homicide),” Sutherland said, “but then we decided to get married.”
Their shag is set for March 14 at the Wayland Bar & Grill on Gore Street.
Sutherland said it’s being held “not just as a celebration, but as a reflection of love, gratitude, and community support.”
About seeing justice for his son, Martin said all he can do is wait and watch as the case against two accused proceeds through the justice system.
“I’m still in touch with a detective who’s part of the investigation,” he said.
“We’re told it’s going to be a long process. It could take years before it gets to trial.”
