More than two months after her disappearance, Kate Reid was the subject of a memorial service in Waterloo on Sunday.
The Kitchener woman was reported missing in late January, weeks after she was last seen alive.
Her roommate, Hugh McColl, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in connection with Reid’s death earlier this month.
Most recently, Reid’s remains were found outside the apartment the two shared, on Burn Place in Kitchener.
But on Sunday, what brought dozens of people together wasn’t any of that – it was what Reid had meant to them in the past.
“We get to see what Kate was like years ago, when I didn’t even know her,” said friend Michael Trotta.
“It’s closure for all of us.”
Also in attendance were Reid’s siblings – of which she had five – including sister Leslie Reid, who travelled from New Brunswick.
“We all came to the centre of Canada to have a celebration for Kate’s life,” she said outside the service.
Leslie Reid said that theirs was a military family, moving around Canada in her and Kate’s youth.
Eventually, she said, Kate would live in places like Australia and California before having a daughter and deciding to put down roots in Kitchener.
“She settled down and became such a focused mom,” she said.
Although it has been several years since the two sisters saw each other in person, they kept up through phone calls and emails.
In recent years, Leslie Reid said, Kate Reid was working, continuing her education and taking care of her daughter.
McColl remains in custody, with his next court appearance scheduled for Thursday.
