EDGEWOOD – Military and religious hymns played softly as Pagel Funeral Home filled with family, friends, co-workers and military personnel who gathered to say their final goodbyes to Stacia Hollinshead on Monday.

Authorities in Wisconsin say Hollinshead, 30, of Sycamore, was fatally shot by her ex-husband March 23 in an apparent act of domestic violence.

The crowd filled every seat in the small Edgewood funeral home, where Hollinshead’s casket was surrounded by blooms of purple, pink, orange and yellow flowers. Mourners stood along the walls and spilled into the lobby.

DeKalb County police officers and representatives from the DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s Office, where Hollinshead was an assistant state’s attorney, were in attendance, as were Army men and women who served with Hollinshead.

The hymns coming through the overhead speakers softened, and a tune began to play from an organ at the front of the funeral parlor.

Hollinshead’s boyfriend, Andrew Morris of DeKalb, played songs at the organ for several minutes. Then he rose to speak about his significant other after a live performance of the song “Candle on the Water” by Hollinshead’s relatives.

As Morris began to speak, tears choked his words as he talked about the woman he loved.

“She was the most conscientious and mindful person that I’ve ever known,” he said. “She would think about the direct cause of her actions as well as the most ... faraway causes and rippling effects.

“What will always stick out with me is her total and complete devotion and dedication to her daughter. It’s these as well as a plethora of other factors about Stacia that made me as dedicated as I am to her and want to be her best friend for the rest of my life.”

Morris said his anger at her death was matched by gratitude for the time he had with her.

“I’m frequently angry that I only got three years and eight months with her, but I’m grateful for every single second that I had with Stacia, and I can’t wait until we’re reunited,” Morris said through tears.

Two of Hollinshead’s sisters recalled their memories. They called her “tenacious” and a “funny, stubborn, wild hurricane of a kid.” Erica Hollinshead Stead said that her sister’s goal since childhood was to become a lawyer, and she did just that, graduating from Northern Illinois University law school in 2018.

Hollinshead Stead said that Stacia’s strong will and determination pushed her to pursue a career in law and also to serve in the military.

“Obviously, Stacia grew up, and the will that made her a hurricane of a child made her a steely adult. She never stopped wanting to be a lawyer, and she made herself a path to get there,” Hollinshead Stead said. “She found one step after another until she got there. No amount of stuff could deter her from what she considered important.”

Perhaps the most important part of Hollinshead’s life was her 5-year-old daughter. Hollingshead’s sisters each spoke with admiration for their sister’s approach to motherhood and her gentle way of letting her daughter be herself.

Stacia’s sisters joined together to honor her with a rendition of the song “If I Die Young” by The Band Perry. A slideshow of photos of Hollinshead throughout her life showed the friendly, determined, happy person she was to everyone she met, according to her siblings.

Hollinshead’s loved ones then gathered at Leith Cemetery in Mason to lay her to rest. A 21-rifle salute, taps and full military rites honored Stacia’s 11 years as an intelligence analyst in the Army.

As the taps played, muffled cries and a lone sob could be heard. Tears silently fell from the eyes of those who loved Hollinshead.

Just moments before, Hollinshead Stead offered words of comfort to those aching over the loss.

“I realize that nothing that has happened and nothing that was cut short has made Stacia any less remarkable,” the sister said. “What she did and who she was cannot be changed.

“She was as accomplished and as strong and as tenacious and unusual and funny and dedicated as she was, and that cannot be lessened,” Hollinshead Stead said. “(Her daughter) knows what it’s like to be loved by someone who expects a lot of you, but loves you absolutely as you are.

“Stacia was, to her child, an unwavering force of good. We need to stand as strongly in love to keep that good alive. Believing in the forces of good does not end here.”

• Kaitlin Cordes can be reached at kaitlin.cordes@effinghamdailynews.com or 217-347-7151 ext. 132.