Deborah Langstaff’s memorial service was as beautiful as her life.

And a peek over the London Bridge after the large gathering Wednesday afternoon was a small indication of how much she was loved — the image itself was quietly beautiful.

An estimated more than 300 family and friends lined the Bridge’s sidewalk; almost everyone held a long-stem red rose, a stark contrast against their dark clothes.

After a few moments of silence, the roses started floating to the waters below for the currents to slowly carry the sea of flowers toward the lake.

Before the roses were thrown, a standing-room-only crowd silently packed the Bridgewater room at Shugrue’s Restaurant to say their goodbyes to a woman who was remembered for her intelligence, her smile, her honesty and her love for her children.

“Certainly, today, we need that Shepherd to lead us … the shadows of death have unfortunately overshadowed. It was something untimely that we have never expected,” said Michael Buxton, a member of Christ Alive Worship Center who officiated the service.

Buxton read from family and friends’ accounts of her life.

“She lived beautifully, she loved openly, she laughed often,” he read from her sister’s memories. “She was my sister, my best friend, and now my guardian angel. She was funny, smart, beautiful, driven.”

From her grandparents, he read: “There is no greater love than you and your children have bestowed on us. They were everything to you. They adored you. … You enjoyed so much in life. Fond memories of you cannot and will not be stolen from our hearts as your life was. These are the hearts you’ve touched so dearly. We will look into the skies knowing that you are there, guiding us through life.”

Langstaff’s mother, Gina James, spoke and told about how Langstaff used to pray when she was younger for every friend and family member, neighbor and then all of the “bad people.”

Her youngest daughter refused to miss school, she said, and morning coffee clubs in living rooms across the city will be missed.

“Her loyalty with her family and friends went so deep,” James said. “She inspired me to be who I am today. I’m so sorry that I wasn’t able to protect you.”

After the service, the first word out of several mouths was “beautiful.”

“I thought it was very beautiful,” said Patty Sorensen, Langstaff’s great aunt, who lives in Minnesota. “It was sharing good memories. It was about a beautiful life. I thought it was perfect.”

Lyndsi Griffis, a local friend, said the number of attendees “showed how many lives she touched.”

“I thought it was beautiful,” she said.

Brian Diez, 26, entered Langstaff’s home shortly before 11:50 p.m. Aug. 28 and opened fire with a semiautomatic handgun. He killed Langstaff, 20-year-old Broc Kelson; 20-year-old Ashleigh Nyland, 24-year-old Primo Verdone, and 42-year-old Russell Nyland. Debbi Nyland, 44, is the sole survivor and is in good condition in a Las Vegas hospital.

Verdone was also buried on Wednesday. Kelson was buried on Sept. 3. The Nylands have tentatively planned a Sept. 25 service, according to The Wenatchee World Online.

You may contact the reporter at jleatherman@havasunews.com