Eliza Fletcher, 34, was abducted and murdered on September 2. Her funeral will take place on Saturday
Eliza Fletcher’s funeral will be held Saturday, her family has announced — at the Memphis church, where she met and married her husband.
The 34-year-old much-loved kindergarten teacher was kidnapped and murdered last week — abducted as she went on her usual 4:30 a.m. tour of Memphis. A 38-year-old career criminal who served 20 years in prison for kidnapping, Cleotha Abston, has been charged with her murder.
On Thursday, the family confirmed details of her funeral, which will take place at 10 a.m. at the Second Presbyterian Church.
Fletcher met her husband Richard at church and the couple married there in March 2014.
Eliza Fletcher can be seen on her wedding day in March 2014, with her new husband Richard. The couple met at the Second Presbyterian Church
Eliza Fletcher’s funeral will be held Saturday at Second Presbyterian Church in Memphis (pictured) – where she met and married her husband Richard.
Fletcher pictured with her husband Richie and their two children. The family described her as a ‘special’ woman who was taken from them in a ‘pointless’ way
The couple became parents to what her obituary described as “two rambunctious, merry boys Richard James Fletcher IV and Harry Wellford Fletcher.”
The obituary reads: “She loved her family deeply and unconditionally. As a family, they enjoyed outdoor adventures such as boating, water sports, hiking, running, and biking. She was greatly admired by her family and friends for her passionate devotion to motherhood.”
The family also praised her strong faith.
“She really walked and modeled the Christian life and relied on her unwavering faith,” they wrote.
“Liza was a light to all who knew her. Her infectious smile and laughter can brighten up any room. Liza was pure-hearted and innocent in a way that allowed her to see the very best in everyone she met. To know her was to love her and be loved by her.’
They noted the enormous interest in her story and her untimely death.
“Her impact is extraordinary, as evidenced by the prayer groups, vigils with friends and family, church and school gatherings, and memorial runs and walks held in her honor,” they wrote.
Fletcher was last seen around 4:20 a.m. Friday, when she was jogging (right) in Memphis and a man approached her and forced her into an SUV after a brief struggle, police said.
A Facebook group has been set up to coordinate Friday’s run, in memory of Fletcher
On Friday morning, at 4:30 a.m., a group of women plans to run 8.2 miles in honor of the murdered jogger, describing the event as ending her run.
Cleotha Abston, pictured in 2000, was first arrested when he was just 11 years old and was in and out of juvenile court 16 times in five years before kidnapping a lawyer
“The outpouring of love and sorrow would have taken Liza by surprise, who never thought or pretended to be something special—though she sure was.”
The family is asking anyone who wishes to contribute to make a donation to a fund established in her memory at St Mary’s Episcopal School, where she taught, or at the church that played such a large part in her life.
According to Memphis magazine, her wedding was the “wedding of the year.”
After the church ceremony, the couple held their reception at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens, which has a rustic woodland theme under a bright tent filled with Christmas lights.
Fletcher, whose grandfather founded a $3.2 billion hardware distributor in Memphis last year, wanted the wedding to reflect her outdoor personality.
Guests were treated to a champagne and seafood bar, forest bluegrass musicians and an interior described by Memphis magazine as ‘a wonderland of flowers and ferns pouring from the ceiling’.
An Alabama-based artist, Ronald Bayens, was commissioned to paint the event as it took place.
“There’s never been another wedding like this in Memphis,” said the team of wedding planners, Russell and Ruthie Events.
Cleotha Abston, 38, appeared in court charged with the first degree murder of Eliza Fletcher, 34, and could face the death penalty. He has not yet made a plea for the charges against him, but his public defender is considering a gag order
Eliza Fletcher, 34, (pictured) was abducted after being forced into a black SUV on Friday. Cleotha Abston, 38, has been charged with her kidnapping and will be charged with murder after her body was found in tall grass next to an abandoned house
On Thursday, Abston appeared in court in Memphis, Tennessee, charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and tampering with evidence — with the judge again denying him bail before a new hearing on Sept. 19.
Jennifer Case, his public defender, initially argued that there was a conflict of interest in her representation as her office had collaborated with him in a previous criminal case in early 2000.
However, the case was dismissed by the judge, Louis Montesi Jr, despite agreeing to hear her arguments regarding a gag order at a later hearing.
Case argued that certain aspects of the case should not be made public after Memphis Police Chief CJ David called Abston a “dangerous predator.”
Tennessee is a state with the death penalty, and prosecutors said Thursday they would not rule out if he is convicted.
Abston wore a green prison uniform and mask and only spoke to his lawyer during the brief hearing.