ATLANTA — They called it a “Celebration of life” not a funeral.
There were no caskets - just three large framed photos at the altar. The church and parking lot were overflowing. Easily several hundred people were there.
The crowd was there to remember 20-year-old Erin Edwards, 24-year-old Chris Edwards II and their 58-year-old mother, Dr. Marsha Edwards, who died in what police suspect was a murder-suicide.
At the front were four clergymen - three of them Methodist pastors and one Presbyterian. The father of the two victims, Dr. Christopher Edwards, greeted nearly every person as they entered with the processional. And seated together, all in white, were members of Marsha's Camellia Rose Chapter of the Links.
A woman who had known Marsha since elementary school, the Rev. Terri Lemons, described the sudden loss as tough, and perhaps spoke for many expressing "grief, shock and loss."
She was one of many who spoke, each given three minutes to reflect on the three lives lost - the three lives who had touched theirs.
Erin's best friend remembered her beautiful voice and her love of whipped cream and butter.
Chris was remembered for never meeting a stranger. His friends at Elon called him "the dad."
Chris was also a digital content manager for the City of Atlanta. The city's mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, not only spoke of him but also her memories of meeting his parents much earlier in her own life.
She met the family when she was newly-married and bought a house in the same neighborhood - Regency Park. She watched the kids grow up and talked about Chris interning in the city council office. She called him “little Chris.”
“Little Chris was indeed a breath of fresh air,” she said.
She called him a “true gentleman,” known for opening doors for people at City Hall. She said he had “unique comicality” which she described as a combination of intellect and humor.
She also spoke of his sister, Erin, describing her as "poised, graceful and eager to contribute."
She said that Erin was so talented, she could have taken over the communication office without even going to school first.
"Her presence and laughter brightened every room," Mayor Bottoms said.
In their memory, she said the mayor's scholarship fund will now be named after both Chris and Erin. It will go to students pursuing degrees in journalism, sports, and entertainment.
The scholarship fund will now serve as yet another way to memorialize the lives lost - lives their Aunt Kelly Jessica Edwards Stamps described as "some of God's greatest work."
Remembering the Edwards family
"This is the day we celebrate our loved ones’ lives and give them back to God. Our power to carry on comes from God,” she said.
And as so many questions continue to swirl around the tragic end to these lives, Marsha's niece Kamil "Missy" Finister is making a request of the people in attendance.
"As we grieve, I’d encourage you not to focus on what we don’t know, but what we do know - and that’s that this family was full of love," she said. "We ask you respect us as we grieve three members of our family we loved deeply.”
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