Hannah McGuire was a bright light and a beacon to everyone around her.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
To her family, her friends, her sporting team mates and the children she cared for Ms McGuire was remembered for her kindness, her warmth, her smile, her sense of humour, and her compassion.
About 600 people packed the Peter Tobin Funerals chapel on Doveton Street for the 23-year-old's funeral on Monday, spilling on to the manicured lawns outside.
"No one who encountered Hannah failed to be warmed by her capacity for friendship and affection and no one who knows of her passing will remain untouched by it," said celebrant Jenny Funston.
The lives of Hannah's family, friends and everyone who knew her were shattered on April 5 when her body was found in a burnt out car in Ross Creek State Forest. Her ex-boyfriend Lachlan Young, 21, has been charged with her alleged murder.
Hannah's mother Debbie McGuire said it was a day of "great sadness but also (with) thanks for the time we had with her".
"Today we celebrate Hannah's life and all the things that made her the amazing daughter that she was," her mother Debbie McGuire said.
"Hannah, we miss the way your presence made everything feel right."
Family friend Nicole van Berkel, who knew Hannah from the day she was born, urged those gathered to "carry forward her (Hannah's) legacy".
"Let us smile more, be kinder, create a safe and caring environment for our children and be resilient and fierce. Let us embrace life with the same zest she did," she said.
"She would want us to find joy even in this sorrow, to celebrate the beauty of existence ... may we honour her by living with the same love, courage and grace that defined her life."
The funeral also featured a special tribute from the students and staff of Delacombe Primary School where Ms McGuire worked in the before and after school care program and as a teachers aide.
"Hannah was a funny, kind and caring person and she would always help others when she got the chance to," one child remembered.
"She made us laugh," another said. "She was a lovely person and she always helped us."
Among the mourners were Essendon captain Zach Merrett and footballers Jayden Laverde and Jake Stringer, there in support of team mate Nick Hind, who was Ms McGuire's cousin. Her parents Debbie and Glenn had purchased the National Hotel in Clunes from Hind's parents last year, and the Hind family reopened the hotel after Hannah's death to allow her family time to grieve.
Many of those gathered at the funeral wore white ribbons to support the White Ribbon Foundation.
"Always remember you mattered, you were important and loved and brought to this world things no one else could," Ms van Berkel said.
Support is available for those who may be distressed.
Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; MensLine 1300 789 978; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; beyondblue 1300 224 636; 1800RESPECT 1800 737 732.
