Prayer service held for Nohema Graber

FAIRFIELD — The public had one last chance to bid farewell to a friend and teacher Tuesday night.

The Fairfield High School Auditorium was filled with members of the community who came to show their love and support for Nohema Graber, an FHS Spanish teacher who was killed last week. They gathered for a prayer service, with a sermon delivered by the Rev. Nick Adam of St. Mary Catholic Church, where Graber was a regular parishioner. In fact, Graber was known to attend Mass every day of the week.

Adam said Graber was a person who, no matter what happened, knew she was not alone.

“She was committed to her Lord and Savior, and knew He’d always help her and care for her,” Adam said.

Adam said that, if Nohema were at the podium that night, she would tell the crowd to choose light over darkness, and love over despair. He invited the public to share their memories of Graber at the microphone.

The first person to speak was one of Graber’s three children, her oldest son, Christian. Christian he came across a note his mother had written to herself with a plan about how she would approach life. In it, Graber wrote that she would smile all the time, and be aware of people’s reactions, concentrating on the positive responses she received.

Matthew Johnson said he started going back to St. Mary’s three years ago, and he enjoyed learning from Graber about Our Lady of Guadalupe.

“She was a beautiful soul who brought many different cultures together,” Johnson said.

FHS graduate Loreena Hucke said they had Graber as a teacher for two years, and that all their memories of Graber were “surrounded with positivity.”

Graber showed her love for the arts by attending every concert and theatrical performance, Hucke said. She also kept tabs on her students after they graduated. When Hucke was living abroad in South Korea, Graber mailed her a letter.

“She always encouraged me to keep learning languages,” Hucke said. “She was such a positive presence in every student’s life, and her love for life will stay with me forever.”

Loreena’s father Fred Hucke, an English and speech teacher at FHS, said he remembers how interested Graber was in international culture. He said that, whenever he mentioned the Alhambra, a palace in Granada, Spain, Graber’s eyes would light up. Hucke wrote a song about Graber, which he performed at the candlelight vigil for her last Friday.

“So many students felt a positive light from Nohema, and our job is to carry her light,” Hucke said.

Joseph Perna, a parishioner at St. Mary’s, said it would be impossible to find a “more gentle soul” than Nohema Graber. He spoke about their wonderful conversations on Sunday mornings, which allowed him to practice his Spanish and his Italian, since Graber could speak some Italian, too.

“Her kids are unbelievable people,” Perna said. “Thank God for Nohema and her ‘familia.’”

Elizabeth Goytia said she met Graber some 12 years ago when Goytia’s son was in the hospital. After meeting the family, Graber came to the hospital every day to pray for them.

“I want to remember her like that, a lady full of faith and hope,” Goytia said.

FHS graduate Francesca Greco talked about how Graber liked to give her students Spanish names, and even referred to them by those names during parent-teacher conferences.

FHS graduate Matt McLain spoke about how “once you were around her, you were family.” He talked about how Graber always wanted her students to practice their Spanish, even outside of class. He recalls meeting her in the grocery store, and trying to think of every Spanish word he could remember about the groceries he was buying.

After the program, McLain’s sister Katie McLain told The Union that she had Graber in Spanish class for two years, and remembers her as an “outgoing and supportive” person. She remembers performing in a musical quartet, and hearing Graber yell “bravo” from her seat.

“She even came to one of my swim meets, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh,’” Katie said, because it was unusual for Graber to attend athletic events.

Katie’s great-grandfather is from Mexico, and her grandmother gave her a book about the family’s genealogy. She showed it to Graber, who was thrilled to read it.

“She was so invested in us,” Katie said. “She loved hearing about different cultures.”

Carson Taylor graduated from FHS earlier this year, and he said Graber’s class was the one he remembers most from high school. He especially liked the holiday festivities and talent shows Graber hosted in her classroom. On occasion, she gave the students large assignments such as the “dreaded 40 sentences,” Taylor said.

“You could see the passion in her,” he said. “She was someone who liked to start conversations with you in the hall, even if you weren’t taking her class. She was enjoyable to be around, and I’m going to miss her forever.”