For 15 days, the Jackson community applauded Katherine Moshiri for the courage she showed in running several blocks to seek help for her children after having been shot multiple times in the head and shoulder by her husband.

Monday night, the same community bowed their heads in prayer as Moshiri, 35, said goodbye to her children, Madison Moshiri, 4, and Michael Jeffers, 16.

It was another sad chapter in the story that began on Dec. 3 when Mir Shahin Moshiri shot Katherine Moshiri, Michael Jeffers and his two sisters Madison, 4 and Meghan, 2. Madison died instantly, as did Mir Shahin, who turned the gun on himself. Michael died a day later. Meghan remains in serious condition at a St. Louis hospital.

On Monday, Katherine pulled herself away from her surviving daughter long enough to grieve for her two deceased children.

Katherine, her left arm still encased in a sling from injuries sustained during the shooting, sat quietly in the front of the altar, which was simply furnished with photographs of Jeffers and his little sister.

Katherine rested her head on her mother's shoulder during the memorial service, listening as friend after friend of Jeffers' spoke tearfully about the ornery and playful personality of the video-game aficionado who attended Jackson High School.

Stephanie Robbs, one of Jeffers' teachers, remembered when she caught Jeffers saying a curse word, and asked him to repent by writing "I will not use that word," 100 times.

"He wrote it all on a Post-It," she said, laughing. In fact, he'd written the phrase 99 times on one side of the post it, and just once on the back, just to see if his teacher would actually count.

Cherissi Roche recounted how Jeffers always came up to her in the hallway at school, "explaining some obscure theory he'd come up with when he should have been doing his homework."

"At first, I was in denial, I couldn't believe something like this could happen to one of my friends, or even could happen here," she said.

Then, she said, Jeffers appeared in her dreams, and told her not to worry because everything would be OK.

"I have no specific funny memories like everyone else, I just have memories of a really good friend who always made me smile," she said.

Jeffers adored Madison, who called him "Keckle," because she was unable to pronounce Michael. Jeffers thought she "walked on water," said his grandmother, Roberta Knights. Of his 2-year-old sister, Meghan, Jeffers was fond of saying "you're growin' on me, child," Knights said.

Knights said she will never forget the first time Madison spoke her first full sentence. They were completing a puzzle. Knights had left the room for a minute, when Madison, then only 2, came screaming into the hallway, "Grandma, I need you!"

Three weeks ago, Katherine Moshiri and Madison were leaving the airport after seeing Knights off as she returned to her home in Las Vegas, and Madison turned to her mother in the car, exclaiming, "but my heart hurts; we need to go back and get grandma," Knights said.

Since losing a stillborn child several years ago, before Madison was born, Katherine Moshiri learned to cherish her children, she said in a previous interview.

She would tell them she loved them daily, though the sentiment would often be met with an eye roll as they grew older, she said.

Though Katherine Moshiri did not speak at the memorial, her message was imprinted on the two-page booklet handed out at the door of the church: "Go home, and hug your children." -- Katherine.

Knights said Meghan has made more progress than doctors expected, though there are still some obstacles.

"She does know when Katherine is rocking her," Knights said.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

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