The Story of Canadian Witch Heather Carr (1974-2015)

KAMLOOPS, B.C. – Early morning on March 31, Heather Arlene Carr, known as Kiteria in her magical community, set out to perform a healing ritual for her ailing Uncle. Within a rock art installment at Riverside Park, Carr began her rite in night’s darkness at 2:30 a.m. Carr was a “night owl” and comfortable with being alone. The park was a place she frequented. Nothing about the evening was unusual for the longtime witch. However, on this particular night, something went tragically wrong.

Heather Carr was born on September 6, 1974 in Kamloops, British Columbia to a Mormon family. She and her family moved to Tumbler Ridge, where she graduated from high school in 1992. Over the next few years, she gave birth to her two sons, and continued to attend the local Mormon church. However, in 1998, her life changed. She and her sons returned to Kamloops, where she attended college, built her home, and, eventually, discovered a new spiritual path.

While Carr was working toward a bachelor’s degree in social work, she met her former partner Leesa Warner, and together they were introduced to Wicca. Warner said, “During her first year of university we were playing some online games. Someone we chatted with regularly from Ontario mentioned Wicca. We bought books, looked online, and researched our asses off.” Both Carr and Warner have practiced together for years. Warner added, “Later in life, Heather identified herself as family tradition Wicca. She practiced a combination of Wicca, shamanism, and Druidic works. Near the end she identified as ‘Dragon Fae’ though none of us really knew what that meant.”

After graduating, Carr’s life was full and not without difficulties. One of her sons was diagnosed with high-functioning Asperger’s syndrome and the other one with Autism and a brain tumor. She was devoted to attending to each of their special needs.

Despite the pressure this put on her own life, Carr dedicated her life to helping others,either privately or within her practice as a social worker. When three of the children in one of her case files were murdered by their father Allan Schoenborn, she had to take long-term disability. Close friend and Druid, Charlene Ross, said, “She was devoted to her children, family, and was very much an advocate for them and others she worked with over the years as a social worker.”

Ross is one of seven members of the local Pagan circle that Carr began about five years ago. The group is open to people of many paths and serves as a place of support and discussion. Warner, also a member, added, “Everyone in the group …. is on different paths. I for example practice Thelemic Magic, [Ross] is a Druid etc. It [is] a good place to go to talk magic and practice magic. To be able to discuss the “signs” all around or get help with an issue or just to learn about anything and everything.” She went on to say that Carr originally was the only teacher, but eventually the group evolved to allow everyone the opportunity to teach.

Over the years, Carr expanded her outreach within the larger Pagan community. She became a regular at PanFest, Alberta’s biggest Pagan festival held in August, where she often taught workshops on magic. Warner said that she and Carr began attending over eight year ago, and that Carr had even convinced many locals to make the long trip to Edmonton each year.

Additionally, Carr created and administered the “Being Pagan Out of the Broom Closet” Facebook group. She, herself, embraced being open about her practice and was frequently seen walking in Riverside Park wearing her cloak. Ross said, that Carr “definitely was becoming more vocal about social justice, earth changes, and other issues close to her heart. She lived her beliefs, rather than “practised” them … She was at home out in the natural, meditating, listening, perceiving, and was fierce in defending those she loved.” Carr made no apologies for who she was.

More recently, Carr had signed up to participate in The Way of the Seabhean -Ancient Irish Shamanism Training for Women on April 10-12. Unfortunately, that day would not come.

Late Monday night, according to several reports, Carr told friends that she was headed to Riverside Park to gather materials to make wind chimes, something she had done before. Alone, she climbed into the center of the park’s rock sculpture – a place that held spiritual significance to Carr. She was handfasted at this site and, only a few days earlier, she and Ross were there “clearing and annoiting the stones with healing water, herbs, and cleaning up the site physically.”

Around 2:30 a.m., Carr’s husband Stephen, who works a night shift, decided to stop by the park on his way home. He knew that she had gone there. As reported by Warner, when he arrived, all he saw was emergency vehicles, and he knew immediately it was his wife.

Although the specific details of what happened are not clear, authorities assume that some part of Carr’s clothing caught fire during the ritual, and because of her position within the rock formation, she panicked and became trapped.

After getting a call from Carr’s mother, Warner joined Stephen at the hospital around 7:30 a.m. She said, “The hospital thought about transferring her to Vancouver general burn ward. They did a video conference with the doctor there and the decision was made that there was no point. [Carr] had type 1 diabetes and her system was in too much shock.” At 11:02am, she died. Warner said, “Steve and I did a passing ritual of sorts, a quick ‘goddess accept our wife.’ ”

In life, Carr was an strong and eccentric woman, who was devoted to family, to her Pagan practice and to her community. Blogger Sable Aradia, a longtime friend of Carr’s, published a tribute days after her death. She wrote, “It’s a testimony to Heather’s character, I think, that even those with whom she has come into conflict in the past are pouring out their compassion to her family and close friends.”

Leesa Warner said of Carr:

Whether you loved her or hated her, if you knew her; she affected your life

Charlene Ross added:

Being pagan, and learning about leadership, and having taught at festivals over the last twenty plus years, this is the time where our teachings can help us come to accept death as a part of life. The loss or parting does hurt.  I take comfort knowing her spirit is free, she is no longer in pain physically or emotionally anymore, that the struggles for now, are done, till she returns again. 

Heather Arlene Carr’s death was certainly a tragedy, one that has shaken the many people and communities that she touched. Ross said that her death, while painful and shocking, can also bring lessons, saying, “So, if we learn something from this,….it can happen to anyone.” Sable Aradia added:

I think that while the circumstances are horrible, and of course no one wants something like this to happen to them, Heather was a dedicated Priestess, and I think that she died heroically in the way she wanted to live; serving her gods and her family, practicing her Craft.  And who among us can say that?

Because most of Carr’s family is not Pagan, they have requested a “celebration of life” funeral, which will be held April 11 at 3 pm at Kamloops Funeral Home. Carr’s Circle group and a few others will be performing a “Passing On Ritual” April 19 at noon. Due to the high level of media interest in the story, the location has not been made public. Anyone interested in attending must contact Warner or Stephen Carr privately. In addition, the Edmonton Pagan community will be honoring Carr in a ritual in to be held May 10.

What is remembered, lives.

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