LEXINGTON — Lexington’s Vice Mayor Jim Gray described Amanda Ross as “a woman who could see, and by that I don’t mean someone who could just look, but she could see over the tree tops and over the next horizon and far beyond it.”

He spoke of the 29-year-old woman who was shot to death last Friday outside her downtown Lexington townhouse. On Monday, former state representative Steve Nunn, 56, the son of a former governor who was once engaged to Ross, was charged with her murder.

About 300 family, friends and co-workers gathered at Carrick House on Wednesday in the downtown section of Lexington where Ross lived.

Friends spoke of Ross’ intelligence, enthusiasm, education, her love of politics and her easy ability to make friends. They also spoke of the horror of her death.

Dale Emmons, a political consultant and friend of the Ross family, said Ross “had a remarkable ability to instantly acknowledge your friendship and light up a room.”

“Tonight, make sure you take time to toast Amanda,” Emmons said.

But he also spoke of the way she died, killed by “a domestic terrorist. A predator cowardly laid in wait and in a selfish and senseless act of personal terrorism, Amanda lost her life.” Emmons reminded the audience Ross died on the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

In March of this year, Ross obtained a domestic violence order against Nunn who she said punched her in the face four times in her home one night in February. She’d filed another complaint against Nunn in January.

In August, Nunn entered an Alford plea – not admitting guilt but acknowledging the evidence was sufficient to obtain a conviction – to a misdemeanor assault charge and was ordered to stay away from Ross, perform community service and undergo alcohol assessment and counseling.

Last Friday, Ross was found shot at 6:30 a.m. outside her townhouse. She was pronounced dead a short time later at the University of Kentucky Hospital.

Authorities began to search for Nunn who was found hours later with his wrists cut in the small Hart County cemetery where his parents are buried. He was carrying a gun of the same caliber as believed to have been used to kill Ross.

Nunn was charged with six counts of first degree wanton endangerment for firing a weapon at officers on the scene and taken to a Bowling Green Hospital. Monday he was transferred to the Hart County Jail and that night charged with murder.

“Most of us are in shock with this terrible tragedy,” said Rev. Richard Anderson at Wednesday’s memorial service. “We’re angry and we’re mad, and that’s OK. We should be from what has happened.”

He said everyone in the room wants justice to be served, including him. But he reminded the mourners of the words of Jesus: “Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.”

Travis Jones went to school with Ross at Sayre School and she gave him his first kiss in seventh grade. They stopped dating but remained close friends and when she acquired her driver’s license, she picked him up each morning and drove him to school at Sayre.

“She only got pulled over for speeding twice in those four months,” Jones said as the crowd laughed. “She looked at me and said: ‘Should I cry?’ If you can, I said.” And the crowd laughed – and some cried – all over again.

Gray, who has lived across the street from Ross’ parents’ home for 10 years, was a year behind Nunn in school in Glasgow where they both grew up.

After Wednesday’s funeral, Gray said he reacted to news of Friday’s events like everyone else – “with shock.”

As an old-fashioned, horse-drawn hearse pulled away from the Carrick House to drive Ross one last time through the downtown area of Lexington she loved, Gray shook his head in disbelief.

“It’s surreal. It’s just a stunning unreality.”

Ronnie Ellis writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort. Reach him at rellis(at)cnhi.com.