BERTHIERVILLE, Que. — An Olympic hero placed a medal on her mother's casket and bid farewell Thursday to the woman she called her best friend.
Joannie Rochette momentarily placed her figure-skating bronze on the coffin during the funeral for Therese Rochette.
The woman who melted hearts around the world by delivering the medal-winning performance in Vancouver last week amid her grief struggled through the painful final step of saying goodbye to her mom.
Rochette's voice quivered and her eyes filled with tears as she paused several times to keep her composure while delivering a eulogy.
She chose to focus the speech on the positive things her mom accomplished in life, rather than the pain caused by her sudden death.
"I'm happy today because we're celebrating the life of my mother Therese - a short life but an intense one," Rochette said.
"She taught me how to be brave. . . She was always there for me."
Hundreds of people packed the small-town church in Berthierville, Que., to pay their final respects to Rochette, who died of a massive heart attack at age 55.
She died in Vancouver about two weeks ago shortly after arriving to watch her daughter compete at the Winter Olympics.
Joannie Rochette, 24, competed in the skating short program just three days after the death and then clinched the bronze medal two nights later.
She was chosen to carry the Canadian flag at the Olympics' closing ceremonies.
Rochette has said she drew inspiration from many people around the world who rallied around her during a trying time.
Clad in black on Thursday, she sat next to her father and her boyfriend, tilting her head downward several times while fighting back tears.
After the ceremony, Rochette followed the coffin out the door and wore dark sunglasses.
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