BAKERSFIELD, Calif.— Hundreds gathered to honor the life and work of Karen Watson -- one of four missionaries killed in the March 15 drive-by shooting in Iraq. Led by Phil Neighbors, center, co-pastor of Valley Baptist Church in Bakersfield California, the March 24 funeral was marked by “tears, memories and even laughter.”

Kevin Wright, a former co-worker in the Kern County Sheriff’s Department where she had worked before entering Baptist work, said Watson “had one speed -– 100 mph.” More than 50 uniformed officers were in attendance at the funeral.