The family of Rubi Vergara, the freshman who was gunned down at Abundant Life Christian School earlier this week, shockingly expressed forgiveness for the teenager’s killer at her funeral Saturday where hundreds came to mourn her.
“We hold no bitterness or unforgiveness towards 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow and her family. They lost a daughter too,” Andy Remus, Vergara’s uncle, told the crowd.
“Somehow, this precious child of God lost her way.”
Remus said the family refused to dwell on the tragedy, instead choosing to remember the 14-year-old’s joyful demeanor and positive attitude.
“We need to just breathe. We love to laugh, at any point in the service, if something is funny that’s said about a memory of Ruby laugh … If this is truly a celebration of life, then let’s do it right,” Andy Remus, Vergara’s uncle, said at the top of the service.
“We need to snap out of this fog that we’ve been in for the last five days.”
The funeral was held at City Church, which lies adjacent to the school where fellow student Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow opened fire Monday, killing Vergara and substitute teacher, Erin West, before turning the gun on herself.
Hundreds packed into the large church, and hundreds of others tuned in on a live stream.
“She would probably be horrified to see this many people in the church just for her,” Jen, a longtime friend of the family, told the crowd.
Vergara was remembered as an avid reader and musician, who played keyboard in her family worship band.
The 14-year-old also had a close relationship with her pet dog and cat, her loved ones said.
Authorities are still working to uncover a motive for Rupnow’s violence, but court documents show that she had been in therapy because of her troubled home life.