DAYTON, Ohio — Dozens of mourners gathered at the House of Wheat Funeral Home on Thursday to celebrate the life of Nicole Connors, a Dayton native who was killed in a mass shooting in Raleigh, N.C. on Oct. 13.
What You Need To Know
- Nicole Connors was a Dayton native and a victim of a mass shooting in Raleigh, N.C. on Oct. 13
- Her funeral was held at the House of Wheat Funeral Home in Dayton on Thursday
- Connors was one of five people killed in the shooting
In the shooting two weeks ago, a 15-year-old gunman is alleged to have killed five people, including Connors, and injured two others.
It was a packed parking lot at the House of Wheat Funeral Home Thursday as friends and family celebrated Connors' life with prayer, song and stories in her hometown of Dayton, Ohio.
The funeral for Connors, who was 52, centered around her love for her community. It was her laughter, personality and caring heart that her friends say made her such a great person to be around.
Connors leaves behind a husband, sister, brother, step-children and other family members. During the service, Pastor Raleigh Thornton spoke of the legacy that Connors will now leave behind.
“Nicole has left a wonderful testimony of love, devotion, perseverance, strength, application of oneself to life,” said Thornton.
For many residents of Dayton, this kind of grief is tragically all too familiar. A mass shooting in 2019 in the city's Oregon Historic District by a 24-year-old ended with nine dead and 17 injured.