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Friends, family members gather to celebrate Cpl. Katelyn Self's life

Friends, family members and brothers and sisters in blue gathered at First Assembly of God in Gastonia to celebrate the life of a deputy who was killed in the Bessemer City restaurant rampage.

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. -- Friends, family members and brothers and sisters in blue gathered at First Assembly of God in Gastonia to celebrate the life of a deputy who was killed in the Bessemer City restaurant rampage.

Cpl. Katelyn Self died in May after authorities say her father crashed his car into a popular restaurant, fatally hitting Cpl. Self and her sister-in-law Amanda Self.

Cpl. Katelyn Self's pastor, her older sister Taylor, Gaston County Sheriff Alan Cloninger and her fiance Alex Burns were among the speakers during Sunday's memorial service.

Burns had to fight back tears when he began to describe what his late fiance meant to him.

"To this day so far in my life, Kate is really the only woman that accepted me for who I am," Burns said.

Cpl. Katelyn Self served with the Gaston County Sheriff's Office for four years, working her way up to serve as a corporal in the jail.

Sheriff Alan Cloninger said Cpl. Self brought a lot of joy and humor to the sheriff's office.

“How can you not smile when you think of Kate?” Cloninger said.

Cpl. Self was later laid to rest at Hovis Family Cemetery in Dallas, N.C.

Last week, dozens gathered at Bethlehem Church in Gastonia to celebrate Amanda Self's life. Self, 35, had worked for CaroMont Health.

Kathleen Besson, Chief Operating Officer at CaroMont Health said in a statement released in May that Amanda Self's death was a "devastating loss."

"As a nurse, Amanda was an accomplished and respected leader, colleague and friend," Besson said in a statement. "We will miss her deeply, and our thoughts remain with her family.”

The Self family is still in need of donations to cover medical and funeral expenses. The community launched a GoFundMe page to help the family. You can click here for more information.

NBC Charlotte's Kendall Morris contributed to this report.

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