Four years later, memorial service held for Holly Bobo
DARDEN, Tenn. — Nearly four years after nursing student Holly Bobo was abducted, hundreds of friends and family members gather Sunday at Holly Bobo’s home church to remember her. “I think about her every day,” Mary Beth Helms, a friend of Holly’s, said. Pink ribbons and “Justice For Holly” stickers lined the church parking lot. Memories from school days spent with Holly and rapping along to artists such as Eminem and Drake brought tears to several eyes during the service. “That’s what we hold on to, all those precious memories,” friend Jill Zemer said. Perhaps one of the service’s most memorable moments was when Holly, who some describe as having the voice of a “Southern angel,” actually sang in her home church once again. Those in attendance listened to a recording of Holly and Zemer singing “Ain’t No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down.” “To hear Holly Bobo sing again in Corinth Baptist Church brought emotions of sadness,” Pastor Don Franks said. “At the same time, knowing that she is with the Lord, there’s an ode of gladness in my heart ’cause we have not lost our Holly.” For some of Holly’s friends, the song was an emotional reminder she’s gone in body but not in spirit. “I know that we won’t get to sing it together again, but we will sing again one day,” Zemer said. At the front of the pulpit, Holly’s nursing hat and a treasured teddy bear sat next to her senior picture. Some friends said the reminders don’t get easier with time. “I think it gets a little harder because you have more time and you think about more things, and you’re always going to have that question — why Holly?” Zemer said. Friends said they know one day they will reunite with Holly. “We know where she’s at, and we will be able to see her again,” Zemer said. Family members asked that instead of flowers, donations be made to the Holly Bobo Scholarship Fund.
