Family and friends around West Seattle and beyond are mourning 48-year-old Lisa Mills, the motorcycle rider killed in the crash that closed southbound Highway 99 for hours last Sunday night. 
We are reporting her name now that the county Medical Examiner has finally formally released it. Ms. Mills, who lived in Sunrise Heights with her wife, was well-known as lead singer of Swamp Mama Johnson, a Northwest-based band that was popular in the ’90s (see a 1997 clip here).
She worked as a hypnotherapist and life coach, with her own business, Heliotrope Hypnosis Services. A friend shared the photo at left, showing Ms. Mills with her dog Ruby, who until Ruby’s recent death assisted her in volunteer therapy work, according to her website. Another friend of Ms. Mills tells us she also was studying to become a mixologist, adding, “Lisa lived life to the fullest and loved riding her motorcycle with her friends.” The preliminary report from Seattle Police says investigators think she “failed to negotiate a curve” at the Viaduct’s south end.
We have no information yet on a celebration of life or memorial fund, but have asked friends who contacted us to please let us know if and when those details become available, so that we can share it with the WSB community. (This mention on a news site in Bellingham, where Swamp Mama Johnson often played, says memorials will likely be held there and in Seattle.)
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