During a Vancouver memorial service Wednesday, family and friends recounted the way Meshay Melendez was a friend to anyone she met and her 7-year-old daughter, Layla Stewart, was constantly asking questions. The private service at Evergreen Memorial Gardens began at 3 p.m. More than 100 people filled the room and spoke for about an hour when the chaplain opened the podium up to anyone who wanted to share memories of the pair. The crowd then participated in a procession to their gravesite. The ceremony came nearly a month after their bodies were found, on March 22, in a rural area east of Washougal. As photos of the two throughout their lives played during a slide show, people could be heard crying and laughing. The area where the single white casket the mother and daughter shared sat was adorned with photo collages and a large floral bouquet in the shape of wings. Many who attended wore clothes with their photos on them. Friends said Melendez’s friendship came without judgment, while family recalled how she could give them attitude.

“Meshay, she lived her life unapologetically, and that’s what I truly admire,” a cousin said. “I wish I took more pictures. All the pictures I have with her that are recent are because she grabbed my phone out of my pocket. So cherish the people that you love. Take more pictures, because these are the only memories I have of my cousin and Layla.” The 27-year-old Vancouver mother and her daughter were last seen the morning of March 12 with Kirkland Warren, a former boyfriend who had been barred by court order from having contact with Melendez in connection with an earlier domestic violence case, according to investigators. Melendez’s mother reported them missing March 18 after she couldn’t reach them for their regular video chat session. The Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office determined both died from gunshot wounds to the head. Their deaths were ruled homicides, meaning they resulted from another person’s deliberate action. The rulings do not make any judgments about criminal culpability. Warren pleaded not guilty Monday to aggravated murder charges in connection with their deaths. His trial is scheduled for June 12. Michelle Bart with the National Women’s Coalition Against Violence & Exploitation said Wednesday, “Today is all about the girls. Tomorrow it’s about the justice.”

Other friends said Melendez’s door was always open and they could lean on her in hard times. “It’s really hard right now, because in a moment like this, Meshay would be my rock. She would be who I would go to,” one friend said. “And I just keep trying to say, ‘You will be strong.’ I’m the crazy one, and she would tell me to calm down. So I’m trying to let that be her essence, just to keep me calm.” They also described her daughter as fun-loving and caring. Some said she also loved scary movies. “Layla was my daughter’s first friend, first everything,” another friend said. “It’s unbelievable to me, because I never would’ve thought I’d have to go on without both of them. I hope one day we all can find some type of peace.” “(Melendez) gave me the honor of being an aunt and gave birth to the most beautiful soul I will ever know,” another friend said. “I wish I had enough time while you were here to express that I loved you so, so much. And Layla, thank you for always annoying me with your questions.”

Many said they would continue to carry Melendez and Layla with them. “I’m going to miss you every day,” Alaysia Atkins said of Melendez. “I’m going to miss her laugh more than anything, her goofy little laugh. I’m going to keep laughing for her.” The burial was followed by a reception, where food and two large cakes were donated by local businesses. People can continue to donate to a GoFundMe that was set up for the family at gofund.me/c06e2407 or mail donations to NWCAVE at P.O. Box 872494, Vancouver, WA 98687.