In recent years, the community of Vashon has had to endure more tragedy than any community of its size should have to bear. And last week’s trials, for many, were unspeakable in their difficulty: the anguish of a loved one missing, followed by the crushing news that came Friday.

Once again, we are grappling with suicide and left reeling. Each untimely death the island has endured has affected many, and ripples of pain stretched far into the community and still linger.

Reached over the weekend, Jeffrey Zheutlin, the clinical director at Vashon Youth & Family Services, noted that this time the person who ended her life is a mother, and that raises questions and creates a pain all its own.

Mothers close to Kirsten — those who shared the celebrations and challenges of day-in and day-out caregiving — say she was a fabulous, fun mother, who loved her boys fiercely. If that is the case, many wonder, how could she take her life?

The answer lies with what the family members have shared in their grief: Kirsten struggled with mental illness for years, and in the end, it was the illness that took Kirsten away from the family, friends and community she so loved.

Zheutlin cautioned people not to judge Kirsten or place blame for her death. Suicide is often a decade or more in the making, he said, and when people choose it, they do not want to hurt anyone, but they want to escape pain they cannot find a way to free themselves from.

Suicide claims tens of thousands of lives each year, and Washington’s figures are higher than in many other regions of the country. It is time for renewed efforts on Vashon to stem this tide, which leaves so much pain in its wake.

At The Beachcomber, we are grateful for Kirsten’s family, who made the decision to share private information that helps illuminate the life and death of this much-loved woman, who did so much for Vashon.

Long before Kirsten was reported missing, we planned to run a story about Rondi Lightmark, which is featured this week on the front page. Unbeknownst to us, she also suffered considerable loss in her life. She told author Susan McCabe, “We think we have to pick up the pieces all alone, but the universe is going to bring you joy no matter what.”

That is what we hope for those Kirsten loved, that islanders will hold them in their hearts and will provide comfort and assistance, now and in the weeks ahead, and that with time, joy will find all her loved ones again.