Family, friends and the public gathered Friday afternoon to honor Nohemi Gonzalez, the 23-year-old Cal State Long Beach student killed in the terrorist attacks that left 129 people dead in Paris.
Gonzalez was eating with friends at a popular bistro in Paris called La Belle Equipe on Nov. 13 when terrorists started storming in and shooting.
"We thank God for the 23 years that he allowed us to enjoy her," Beatriz Gonzalez, mother of Nohemi, told NBC4 before the service began.
Her parents also offered their own condolences to families of the victims in San Bernardino, feeling the same pain they've endured for a similar act of terror.
"We understand their pain," Jose Hernandez, Nohemi's stepfather, said. "Thinking about what they're going through right now, it's hard, it's hard."
Family members spoke at a podium for the 1 p.m. service at the Calvary Chapel in Downey, remembering the woman they called a "firecracker."
"She went to a better place," Beatriz said. "I don't have the words to describe my pain, but we're going to be OK."
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Nohemi was a student at CSU Long Beach studying abroad at the Strate College of Design in Paris.
The service for Nohemi was held at 1 p.m. at the Calvary Chapel in Downey.
A total of 129 people died in the corrdinated Paris terror attacks at the Bataclan theater where the SoCal band the Eagles of Death Metal were performing, a soccer stadium, and at the cafe.
Days after Nohemi's death, CSU Long Beach held a remembrance service where her boyfriend Tim Mraz spoke about his slain girlfriend who he had been dating for four years.
"We miss her today and we'll miss her forever," University president Jane Close Conoley said at the remembrance ceremony.
Nohemi's father tapped his chest with his hand and said: "Mimi is in our hearts. Mimi is not dead."
