It's been three months to the day since a Cary mother disappeared.

Nancy Cooper was reported missing on July 12, and was found strangled a couple days later just a few miles from her home.

Cooper's husband, Brad, told police she went out for a run and never came home.

Today, there was a short ceremony to remember Nancy Cooper and dedicate a bench in her memory near the Koka Booth Amphitheatre.

Friends and family standing on the shore of Symphony Lake vowed to keep track of what's really important.

"Our time on this earth can be brief," said Nancy's mother, Donna Rentz. "And I want all of you to go home and hug those that you love. Keep them close."

About two dozen people took the time to dedicate a $2,000 granite bench in Nancy's memory, which will now sit facing one of the lakes she used to love to run past.

"My sister found solace in exercise, especially on these trails," said Jill Dean.

"It's a real pleasure for us to be able to leave something back that she would have loved to have seen and have you enjoy," said Nancy's father, Garry Rentz.

The bench is another step in the healing process, and at the same time, offers a chance to remember someone whose death has affected many people who never even knew her.

"Today is a day of renewal," said Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht. "It's a day of turning to something positive."

"Nancy was a wonderful friend, a fantastic person and a dictionary definition of a mother," said Dean.

Neither of Nancy's two daughters were at the ceremony, nor was Brad Cooper.

Police have not named him or anybody else a suspect, but detectives have said he's not cooperating with their investigation and that some of his statements have been inconsistent.

Brad Cooper and Nancy's family are set to be in court later this week for a hearing to decide who will get custody of the couple's daughters.

Related Links

1. Full Coverage: Nancy Cooper Murder