Two Colo. victims mourned at funerals in Ohio, Texas

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio -- The woman whom Matt McQuinn loved and whose life he saved by taking three bullets for her wept as pastors spoke of his heroism and sacrifice during his funeral Saturday, and of the senselessness of the shooting spree at a Colorado movie theater where he and 11 others were killed just more than a week ago.

Mourners packed a church in this western Ohio town McQuinn was from, the same morning that others came together in San Antonio to remember another shooting victim, 24-year-old Jessica Ghawi. Other victims' funerals were held earlier last week, and more are set for this week.

When gunfire broke out in the Aurora, Colo., theater, McQuinn, 27, dove in front of his girlfriend, Samantha Yowler, and was shot three times.

Yowler, who was shot in the knee and survived, arrived at McQuinn's funeral on crutches Saturday and wept quietly with his parents and other family during the funeral. Neither she nor his parents addressed Maiden Lane Church of God.

Pastor Herb Shaffer, who is also McQuinn's uncle, said his nephew had been a gift to his family since he was born and that his actions in Colorado were just one example of his selflessness.

"In moments of crisis, true character comes out," he said. "His immediate response was to protect the woman he loved."

Mourners at Ghawi's funeral also touched briefly on the massacre.

"If this coward could have done this with this much hate, imagine what we can do with this much love," her brother told the church in San Antonio.

But most of the service focused on the life and energy of the aspiring sports journalist.

"What we will not do today is focus on how she left us," said Peter Burns, a friend from Colorado, reading a statement from Ghawi's mother, Sandy. "Jess was a force to be reckoned with. She was a jolt of lightning. A whirlwind. A Labrador puppy running clumsily with innocent joy."

Burns talked of the funny way Ghawi sneezed, her near-addiction to Nutella, how she was sloppy and always lovable.

Ghawi's boyfriend, Jay Meloff, note that others described her as "a tough, redheaded spitfire," and she was, but that he also saw "a beautiful, warm-hearted and passionate woman with a capacity for love. ... She was as mushy as they come."

He said they were looking forward to building a future together and he also encouraged others to do as she did and "live each day fully."

"She drank in life," he said.

Ghawi was a pretty, blue-eyed redhead who moved to Colorado about a year ago. She had survived a June 2 shooting at a Toronto mall that left two dead and several wounded. She blogged about the experience, writing that it reminded her "how fragile life was."

"I was reminded that we don't know when or where our time on Earth will end. When or where we will breathe our last breath," Ghawi wrote.

James Holmes, a 24-year-old former doctoral student studying neuroscience, is accused of opening fire on the theater, killing McQuinn, Ghawi and 10 others, and wounding 58. He is due to be formally charged Monday in Colorado.

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Associated Press writer Linda Stewart Ball in Dallas contributed to this report.

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Follow Amanda Lee Myers on Twitter at https://twitter.com/AmandaLeeAP .