Amy Warf Laid to Rest After Tear-Filled Service

Amanda "Amy" Warf was a "talented," "genuine" woman who never had a problem making others smile, although when Amy began high school she was worried that new friends and teachers might not take the time to know her for who she was, according to Amy's brother Joe.

Joe Warf said Amy "didn't want to be the little sister" in the eyes of everyone who knew him, and this created trepidation about the first few weeks of high school. Joe said Amy was "always laughing and smiling," though, and he said Amy's amicable personality quickly reversed their three-year age gap and made Joe the "other" Warf in town.

"Amy's light was undeniable, and [the "little sister" status] didn't take long to change," said Joe, now 39. "To this day I'm still known as Amy's older brother.

"Sometimes in life we're lucky enough to meet someone who is truly exceptional, a person who can just make you feel good just by being around them. Someone whose smile is so genuine that when you see it it makes you happy no matter how you're feeling. And I was lucky enough to meet one of these rare people [when Amy was born]."

Joe Warf spoke on behalf of his family Wednesday during an emotional funeral service for Amy, 36, a North Hampton native who was found murdered — allegedly by her ex-husband, Aaron Desjardins — last week in an abandoned Exeter factory just a few days after she moved to Hampton.

Joe Warf and Rev. Maurice "Moe" Lavigne, of St. Theresa's Church in Rye, took turns sharing stories in front of the altar at Remick and Gendron Funeral Home, an altar which was covered in numerous large bouquets of purple and pink flowers, a single red rose, and Amy Warf's marbelized purple urn.

Amy's 11-month-old son, William, was in attendance, and both Joe Warf and Lavigne often spoke to him in an effort to comfort a boy whose time with his mother was cut "tragically" short.

Joe Warf choked up while addressing William, and he led a tear-filled group sing-along of "You Are My Sunshine" in honor of William and Amy because Joe said his grandfather used to sing the short refrain to comfort Joe and Amy when they were kids.

"William, I know you didn't get to know Amy for very long, but I promise you little buddy you will get to know her very well," through getting to know family members, said Joe Warf while on the altar. "What you can do for me little buddy is [let] me see my sister every day."

A video slideshow of images of Amy's life was set to music and played before family members, friends and loved ones in attendance at Wednesday morning's service.

In the video, an oft-smiling and laughing Amy Warf was seen with her parents and her brother Joe, making faces with family members and friends, and kissing a smiling William on his right cheek in a photograph that elicited many sobs from those in attendance. There were even a few chuckles as an image appeared depicting Amy and William sticking their tongues out and making identical faces at the camera.

Lavigne said there are "absolutely no words" available to "comfort" or "make some sense" of Amy Warf's death, although he said it's important for loved ones to "come together" to help remember Amy.

"You can say because of this tragedy that she is in a better place... but she was in a good place here," said Lavigne. "William is a joy and a gift to this family. While the loss of Amy is very real, a great deal of her is in William."

Interment at Center Cemetery in North Hampton and a private reception at St. Theresa's Church in Rye followed Wednesday's memorial service.

The obituary for Amy Warf can be found here, while more stories about her life can be found here.

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