Hundreds Gather to Say Goodbye to Hannah Graham

A Fairfax County Police motorcade, students and teachers from West Potomac High School, UVA students, friends and family, parents John and Sue Graham, all gathered Saturday to say goodbye to Hannah Graham.

Hannah, 18, disappeared Sept. 13 in Charlottesville, where she was a sophomore at the University of Virginia; the search for the missing teen gripped the nation and made worldwide news. Hearts sank when her remains were found in October about 12 miles from where she was last seen.

A Charlottesville resident, Jesse Leroy Matthew, Jr., 32, is being held on abduction charges and could face more charges.

Hannah was a graduate of West Potomac High School in Fairfax County, just south of Alexandria, where Saturday’s “Celebration of Life” was held. It was where she played alto-sax and softball. Her former teachers and friends from high school and college took turns talking about her smarts, her wit and love of life.

“She had a great wit — it could be snarky at times but that’s what we loved about her,” the Associated Press reported her band teacher, Steve Rice, as saying. He shared stories about Graham’s love of Elvis songs and her lighthearted annoyance at playing pieces that featured the clarinet section over the saxophones.

Everyone who knew her, from friends to teachers, described her as bright and beautiful.

A giant rock painted orange outside the school was painted a bright orange and read: “We Love You Hannah. Always In Our Hearts.”

A police motorcade from Fairfax County also honored Hannah Saturday. “We said good bye to Hannah Graham today at West Potomac High School, here in Fairfax County,” Fairfax County Police posted on their Facebook page. ”Sending warm thoughts to Hannah’s friends and family on a cold day.”

The music at Saturday’s program, performed by the West Potomac High Band, included Mozart’s “Ave Verum Corpus,” and Elvis’s “I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You” and “Love Me Tender.”

“She made us smile. She made us laugh,” her father, John Graham, told The Washington Post in an earlier interview. “She was clearly a remarkable young woman and someone we are very proud of. She was bright. She was witty. She was beautiful. And she made people happy.”

Hannah had planned to pursue a career in global public health. Her father said Saturday: “We think she would have made important contributions to society in the years ahead.’’

PHOTO: Hannah Graham was on the ski team at UVA; a motorcade honored her Saturday. Photo courtesy of Fairfax County Police

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• Remains Found in Hannah Graham Investigation
• Hannah Graham’s Parents Release Statement
• VIDEO: Parents of Missing UVA Student Hannah Graham: ‘Help Us End This Nightmare’
• State Police Link Jesse Matthew to 2009 College Student Murder
• Suspect in Hannah Graham Disappearance Won’t Fight Extradition from Texas
• Police Charge Jesse Matthew with ‘Abduction, Attempt to Defile’ in Hannah Graham Case
• Police Issue Wanted Poster for ‘Person of Interest’ in Missing College Student Case
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• Police: Missing College Student Hannah Graham Left Bar with ‘Person of Interest’
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• UVA Holds ‘Bring Hannah Back’ Candlelight Vigil
• Charlottesville Police Offer Description of ‘Person of Interest’ in College Student Disappearance
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• Family of Missing College Student, Hannah Graham, Issues Statement
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• Police: West Potomac High School Grad Reported Missing at UVA