An Elkhart County church invites the public tomorrow to pay their respects to Annasue Rocha, the 19-year-old Martin’s cashier who was killed by a shooter in the store January 27.
There will be a visitation from 10 a.m. to noon, followed by a service at noon, at Northside Church of the Nazarene on Elkhart County Road 7. Pastor Tim Sheets will officiate. He says it’s mostly friends and family planning to come but they have a large sanctuary to welcome the public.
Martin’s customers and people who knew Rocha, who went by Annie, left comments on her obituary expressing their sorrow.
“I started seeing Annie on the registers in January,” someone named Elaine commented. “She seemed shy so it took her a few times to get her to laugh. Her smile was beautiful, her personality was beautiful, she had light in that soul and it showed.”
Pastor Sheets says Rocha’s family didn’t attend the church but several members of his congregation knew her, including a woman who had fond memories of working with her as a teacher’s aide at Pinewood Elementary.
"My message is going to be pretty simple," Sheets said. "It's going to involve the thoughts that life is precious, life isn't always fair, and life is a gift, a gift from God."
After the service Rocha will be buried at St. Vincent’s Cemetery.
