AUBURN — Tricia Johnson-Asselin had a smile you could feel and if you were a friend of hers, you were a friend for life, according to many friends and family members.

Around 100 of those closest to Asselin were at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1603 on Saturday for a celebration of life for Asselin, a victim of the Oct. 25, 2023, mass shooting at Just-In-Time Recreation. Asselin would have been celebrating her 54th birthday on Aug. 30.

“We really just want everyone to enjoy themselves,” said Bobbi Nichols, Asselin’s sister and celebration organizer. The celebration had many raffle items and baskets which were donated by family, friends and local businesses. Nichols explained that all proceeds from the raffles will go toward sports scholarships for students at the family’s alma mater, Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham.

Nichols said she had to delay the celebration as long as possible for her own and several others’ mental health. Nichols was with her sister at the bowling alley when the shooting happened and witnessed much of the carnage.

Tricia Johnson-Asselin’s mother, Alicia Lachance, left, and sister Bobbi Nichols sing “Happy Birthday” Saturday during a celebration of life Saturday at the VFW Post 1603 in Auburn. Asselin, who would have turned 54 on Aug. 30, was killed Oct. 25, 2023, while bowling at Just-In-Time Recreation in Lewiston. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

However, the celebration being just days away from her sister’s birthday made it a perfect time to remember her and to sing “Happy Birthday.”

“We’re going to remember her with this,” Nichols said of the raffle and scholarships. “She needs to keep giving because it is who she was. She was a giver. She did everything — breast cancer walks, Make-A-Wish, Wreaths Across America, the Giving Tree.”

Asselin’s mother, Alicia Lachance, came up from Florida to lend a hand at the celebration and to remember her daughter with all the important people in her life. Lachance said she can’t pick any one thing or memory of her daughter she most misses.

“Because I miss every little thing about her,” Lachance said motioning to the many photos of her daughter on display. “Look at my daughter’s smiles. It’s because we have a lot of love in our family. We all stood by her in everything she did. She made everybody feel like they mattered.”

Denise Vaillancourt, a friend of Asselin’s since their late teen years, also said there are far too many great memories to choose from. She said her friend was always happy, good times and bad times alike. She could make anyone smile or laugh, she said.

Tricia Johnson-Asselin was 53 years old when she was killed on Oct. 25, 2023. Friends and family celebrated her 54th birthday on Saturday at the VFW Post 1603 in Auburn. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

“I remember a couple years ago we went out and bought Halloween costumes together. She was Yoda and I was a clown,” Vaillancourt laughed. “We went all around Auburn. She was always happy and she would not want people here to be upset. People say that about people, but Tricia really wouldn’t want that. She’d want everyone to try and have a good time.”

Nichols’ fiancé, Ray Mailloux, said the past year has been hard on Nichols, but the celebration is a bit cathartic, yet chaotic as functions like these tend to be. It was very important for Nichols to see so many people who loved and cared about her sister.

Lachance said her daughter was always a fighter, for herself and others. She recalled her daughter’s birth which came two months early, and those first two months of her life were a struggle.

“Her due date was Nov. 3,” Lachance said, “ And I buried her on that due date. She’s in the Lord’s hands and no one is ever going to hurt her again. I miss her dearly.”