Washington state Supreme Court Justice Susan Owens, who died in March, was honored in a memorial on Thursday hosted by the court.

The room at the Temple of Justice in Olympia was packed with loved ones, friends, and colleagues who shared memories of her as someone who loved going to boutiques to find unique clothing or jewelry and throwing “legendary Christmas parties.”

She was the seventh woman to serve on the state Supreme Court and the first woman to reach the court’s mandatory retirement age of 75. She retired in December, just a few months before she passed away in California while visiting family.

Owens grew up in an era when it was less common than it is today for women to become attorneys. Her father, who was a lawyer, encouraged her to pursue a career as a legal secretary.

Instead, she graduated from Duke University in 1971 and obtained her law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1975.

Before being elected to the state Supreme Court in 2000, Owens served as a judge in Clallam County for almost 20 years, and prior to that as ​​chief judge for the Quileute and Lower Elwha S’Klallam tribes.

During her time as a justice, Owens helped “elevate the voices of domestic violence victims and many marginalized groups and wrote some of the court’s most important opinions,” said Chief Justice Debra L. Stephens.

She was also a champion of rural and tribal courts and taught on the subject of rural courts at the state’s Judicial College.

Outside the courtroom, she was described as smart and bold — someone who would “cut to the heart of the matter.” She could be found by the karaoke machine or at dance parties with a feather boa, according to memorial attendees.

“She brought joy and loved making friends wherever she went,” said Judith Hightower, a friend and former colleague.

During the ceremony, Rio Jaime, friend of the Owens family and vice chairman of the Quileute Tribal Council, wrapped Owens’ two adult children in a Native blanket to provide love and comfort and sang a traditional Quileute song, symbolizing a protection prayer.

“The one thing that, as I’ve grown to know about my mom, that I’m most impressed with is her toughness and her resilience,” said James Owen Golden, her son.

She is also survived by her daughter, Sunny Golden, and grandchildren Jameson, Skye, Aubriana, Arabella, and Cannon.

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