Jai Marlowe, 17, holds her candle out to be lit at a memorial for domestic violence victims Jennifer and Lisa Bailey at Plant Memorial Home, where Lisa worked, in Bath on Wednesday. Marlowe said her mother worked with Lisa for years and that Lisa was “like an aunt” to her. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

BATH — More than 100 people, their faces bathed in candlelight, gathered Wednesday night to mourn the losses and celebrate the lives of Lisa and Jennifer Bailey.

Friends, co-workers and members of the broader Bath community filled the driveway in front of Plant Memorial Home for a vigil. Lisa had worked at the assisted-living facility as a housekeeper. Those who gathered spoke about the lives the mother and daughter had touched and highlighted the issue of domestic violence in Maine.

Kerry Smith, Jennifer’s best friend, told the crowd “Jennie and Lisa would be humbled by the love and support” shown by those who gathered. Smith said she and Jennifer called each other sisters, and said anyone could reach out to her if they needed someone to share in their grief.

“I would rather be in complete agony and shattered into a million pieces than to have never known them at all,” Smith said.

A photo of Jennifer and Lisa Bailey sits on a table alongside other photos during a memorial service for them at Plant Memorial Home, where Lisa worked, in Bath on Wednesday. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

Jennifer, 32, and Lisa, 58, died Sunday morning after being shot by 66-year-old Michael Bailey, Jennifer’s father and Lisa’s husband. They were killed inside the emerald green home in which Jennifer had grown up in a quiet neighborhood on Crawford Drive.

State police say Michael’s body was later found inside the same home, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

As the sun set Wednesday, around an hour before the vigil began, dozens of flowers lay outside the home, weighed down by a recent rain. A pair of electric tea candles sat next to the pile; one flickered dimly.

Bath police responded to two reports of conflict at the home on Sept. 24: one around 8:30 a.m. and another just before 2 p.m. Smith told the Press Herald this week that the two women had endured years of abuse, and Lisa had recently decided to file for divorce.

Michael Bailey was never charged with domestic violence, according to a criminal record history from the Maine Bureau of Identification.

Smith called the pair’s final moments “shocking and just pure evil,” but said that pain was eclipsed by the outpouring of love the community had shown over the last few days.

Joan Atwood, right, hugs Jen Kinney at a memorial for domestic violence victims Jennifer and Lisa Bailey on Wednesday. Atwood lives at the Plant Memorial Home and said when Lisa didn’t show up on Monday she was worried something was wrong. “She was never late,” Atwood said. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

A SEA OF SUPPORT

Earlier, as they waited for the program to begin, attendees hugged and shared stories of the mother and daughter, recalling their love, generosity and commitment to helping those around them.

Tashley Gagne said she worked with Lisa at Midcoast Pizza and More for more than a decade. She called Lisa “one of the most wonderful, beautiful people” she had ever known.

“She was like an aunt to my daughter, so was her daughter, Jennie,” Gagne said in an interview, bringing the girl in for a tight hug.

Kate Cleveland, 44, said she worked with Jennifer at Mid Coast Hospital for around a year and a half, during which time Jennifer brought an immediate “zest” and ambition to everything she did.

People gather at a memorial for domestic violence victims Jennifer and Lisa Bailey at Plant Memorial Home in Bath on Wednesday. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

Cleveland said her mother died around a year ago, and Jennifer did all she could to support her, including offering to pick her up from the airport after she returned from seeing family in Texas.

“That girl right there had my back,” Cleveland said, pointing at a photo of Jennifer. “She never, ever made it feel like you were imposing on her.”

In his remarks to the crowd, Jay Levesque, executive director of the home, said Lisa loved working there, and the residents loved her right back.

“To call Lisa a housekeeper doesn’t do what she meant to the Plant Home justice,” Levesque said.

Levesque introduced Bath City Manager Marc Meyers, who told the crowd he lived just around the corner from Jennifer and Lisa’s home.

“Like many of you, I’m still shocked and saddened by the tragic events of this past Sunday,” Meyers said, pausing at times to catch his breath as he appeared to hold back tears. “The reality is tragic events like this can, and have, happened here.”

Kerry Smith, center, and other mourners during a moment of prayer at a memorial for domestic violence victims Jennifer and Lisa Bailey in Bath on Wednesday. Smith was Jennie’s best friend for 25 years. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

He urged those gathered to keep an eye on their loved ones and check in on them occasionally.

‘A LONG WAY TO GO’

Cleveland, Jennifer’s former co-worker, said she hopes the women’s deaths will “light a fire” in the community and help spark greater awareness of, and stronger responses to, domestic violence.

Before the vigil began, Lori Rodriguez, education and outreach director at New Hope Midcoast, stood behind a table with pins and pamphlets on available resources for those experiencing abuse.

“I think (awareness) varies widely,” she said in an interview. “Many don’t know that it’s the leading cause of homicide in the state.”

People stand with their candles lit during the song to end the memorial for domestic violence victims Jennifer and Lisa Bailey in Bath on Wednesday. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

Domestic abuse homicides accounted for 49% of Maine’s homicides from 2020 to 2023, according to the state’s latest report.

Rodriguez said she and her organization are working to educate Mainers – community members and professionals – on the resources available to victims of domestic violence and how to recognize the signs that someone may be struggling with it.

“There’s sometimes a baseline understanding that the issue exists and still a long way to go in making sure that people are equipped to deal with it,” Rodriguez said.

As the speaking program concluded, Levesque, the director of Plant Memorial Home, invited Smith and a handful of Jennifer and Lisa’s loved ones to the front. Nearly all those gathered held tall, white candles – yet unlit.

Levesque lit his candle, then he touched the flame to the wick of Smith’s candle; she stepped into the crowd and began lighting others’. “Go Rest High on that Mountain” by Vince Gill played over the speaker system.

“When that song is over,” Levesque said, “we would ask that you just look at each other, blow out your candle and commit to making a change that would save one life.”

One by one, they shared the flame until the entire group glowed in an orange hue.

Staff Writer Morgan Womack contributed to this report.

Jai Marlowe cries at a memorial for domestic violence victims Jennifer and Lisa Bailey on Wednesday in Bath. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer