Photo courtesy of Behner Funeral Home and Crematory

Wednesday would have been the 67th birthday for Nohema Graber, a Fairfield High School teacher who was killed last week.

Governor Kim Reynolds ordered all flags in Iowa to be lowered to half-staff Tuesday in honor and remembrance of Graber, and a public prayer service was held for Graber at the high school Tuesday night, while private services are planned for a later date. She taught Spanish for nine years in Fairfield and in Ottumwa prior to that. Born Nohema Castillo y Castillo in Mexico, she worked for 17 years as a flight attendant, and studied to become a commercial airline pilot, becoming one of the first women in Mexico trained to fly passenger jets. She married Paul Graber in 1986 and moved to Fairfield in 1992 where they raised their three children.

Sixteen-year-olds Willard Chaiden Noble Miller and Jeremy Everett Goodale were arrested and charged with first-degree murder, a class A felony, after her body was discovered on November 3rd at Chautaqua City Park where she often frequented. A motive has not been officially released by law enforcement, as an investigation is ongoing into Graber’s death. Willard’s attorney Christine Ellen Branstad of Des Moines-based Branstad and Olson Law Office filed a motion Monday that Willard’s $1 million bond be reviewed.

The Fairfield School District released a statement to parents Tuesday that their first day back on Monday went well, and that they have counselors onsite and plan to continue having them throughout the week in the hallways and classrooms, as well as private locations to meet if needed. A Dio de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, display at the Fairfield Public Library that Graber visited just a day before her disappearance now remains as a memorial for the public to visit and contribute to. A GoFundMe online fundraiser for Graber’s family has also raised over $43,000 in the week since her death.

Jeremy Goodale, Willard Miller