HEPPNER — When a person dies young, it’s a shock.

And when, because of COVID-19, friends and family can’t gather to hug and mourn and say goodbye, it’s almost unbearable.

Shannon Boor, of Heppner, died suddenly of cardiac arrest the night of March 8 at the age of 46. In this small, close-knit community, most everyone knew Boor.

She had helped grow Community Counseling Solutions, a mental health agency where she worked for more than 20 years and served as business operations manager. She was an EMT and a mother of four, who rarely missed a local sporting event.

She lived on a ranch just outside town with her husband. Doug Boor said the first week without Shannon was a blur and he remembers almost nothing. He had always assumed he would go first. The two met on a blind date to Lehman Hot Springs and never looked back. They lived on a ranch where he raises cattle, sheep and alfalfa. Doug marveled at the compassionate and forgiving way Shannon navigated life.

“She liked to help others,” he said. “She just did it.”

While Executive Director Kimberly Lindsay was the visionary for Community Counseling Solutions, Boor was the nuts-and-bolts person and the friendly face at the front desk. Over the years, the staff grew from 11 employees to around 150. Once a small mental health agency, CCS now serves four counties, operates a warm line and provides school-based counseling, residential treatment and other programs to help people improve their mental health.

Rita Martin, now a CCS employee, was a recovering addict coming to CCS for help when she first met Boor.

“She had every reason in the world to judge me,” Martin said. “She was always kind.”

Boor was good at multi-tasking. She was a longtime EMT. She earned a degree in business from Eastern Oregon University while continuing to work.

Those who knew Boor well say she continued to be an anchor for her oldest son, Andrew Bara, who was diagnosed with severe autism as a youngster. He had walked at only 8 months, but would eat only four foods and melted down at loud noises. When she learned his diagnosis, the single mom dropped out of Blue Mountain Community College to focus on his treatment.

Andrew made steady growth. By high school, he wrestled, played football and ran track. He got good grades, participated in 4-H, taught himself to play piano and walk on his hands. By his sophomore year, he played five instruments and had penned more than 70 musical compositions. He now works at CCS.

Boor, like all of us, wasn’t perfect. In her kind way, though, she served as a motivator and sounding board for the people in her life.

“She held me accountable,” said colleague and friend Matt Bergstrom. “She did a million things. When she had her mind set on something, she got it done. She was one of the most loyal, down-to-earth people I’ve ever met.”

“She was the person always taking care of everyone,” said friend and former colleague Katy Stinchfield. “She was the ultimate pay-it-forward person.”

Boor’s memorial was originally scheduled for March 21 in the Heppner High School gym with room for an overflow crowd at the nearby St. Patrick Catholic Church parish hall. In light of COVID-19 and the state restrictions for gathering, the family decided to wait.

It was a blow. Many of her family members and friends felt adrift. Katie Sargent, who became fast friends with Boor when they were both 15, would have come from North Dakota to attend.

“I am heartbroken,” she said. “It’s hard to move on. It feels like it’s not the end of the process.”

Another close friend and co-worker, Alita Nelson, struggled when she learned of the postponement.

“It was very hard for me,” Nelson said. “I have to remind myself she’s gone because there’s no closure.”

Boor’s mother, Donna Smith, who also lost her husband, James, in November, called the delay “devastating.” She worries about the people who loved her daughter.

“All of them are wanting closure,” Smith said. “They really want a chance to say goodbye.”