A memorial service will be held this afternoon for Nancy Cooper at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary.

A Private memorial service was held Friday night for Nancy Cooper at the preschool her daughter Bella attended.

Candles were lit, memories were recalled and songs were sung for Nancy. Among the songs shared, the hymn, "Let It Shine."

As those attending the service sang, the sun broke out from behind a bank of storm clouds which had drenched the area minutes before.

It was as if the heavens themselves were crying over the Lochmere neighborhood where Nancy lived.

Then, moments before the service began, a rainbow spread across the sky. For some attending, it was an touching moment.

"The family had asked for me to sing 'Somewhere over the Rainbow' tomorrow," said Julia Cobley, who was Nancy's music teacher. "I find it very fitting that here we have this beautiful rainbow here in the sky and when I'm singing tomorrow, I'll be thinking of Nancy."

Because Nancy's daughter Bella attended the preschool where the service was held, parents and teachers held Bella and her sister in their protective emotional embrace.

"They are utmost priority right now," said Bella's teacher Tracey Vancott.

Some of those who came recalled Nancy's strength and her positive attitude.

"Nancy did not allow her circumstances to bring her down," said close friend Marion McHugh. "She was always positive, always up, always cheerful. She was also very honest about what was going on in her house with all of us. We all knew what was going on."

Absent from the memorial was her husband Brad Cooper. Earlier his lawyer explained why he has not been seen in public.

"Different people grieve in different ways," said Attorney Seth Blum. "Mr. Cooper wishes to mourn privately. He does not want to do it at press conferences, he does not want to do it for reporters. He does not wish to mourn in the public eye."

Related Links

1. Previous stories on the Nancy Cooper Murder Investigation