Private time before public vigil

A 27-year-old man has been charged with murdering Blesilda Gotingco.

Blessie Gotingco’s husband will include supportive community in farewell after family has said goodbye.

The family of Auckland woman Blesilda Gotingco will say goodbye to her in private today before they invite the community to farewell the woman who touched so many lives.

The 56-year-old grandmother, known as Blessie, disappeared after getting off a bus from work in Auckland City to walk the last few hundred metres to her home in Birkdale on May 24.

Her body was discovered in bush at a nearby cemetery two days later.

Blessie's husband Antonio said her body had been released to the family and they would hold a private cremation today.

Blessie's ashes will be kept at Saint Mary's Catholic Church in Northcote until Thursday, with the doors open to all to pay their respects.

Mr Gotingco said it was important to the family to have a private day to farewell the mother-of-three before the public vigil.

"It's a Roman Catholic [ceremony] mixed with a Filipino cultural tradition," Mr Gotingco said.

"It's sort of an open house. People can come and go and pay their last respects."

Mr Gotingco said when deciding how to farewell his wife he took into consideration the feelings of the wider community.

"We wanted to have it private, really - just our family. But we don't really want to disappoint people because you know Blessie is getting a lot of support, a lot of love, a lot of care, a lot of prayers.

"So I decided that ... Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday [for the public vigil] will be enough.

"It's probably the best way really for people to come and just pay their last respects and say goodbye."

A Requiem Mass will be held on Thursday at 1pm and Blessie will be formally farewelled before her ashes are taken away by the family. "Then she's coming home with us," Mr Gotingco said.

Blessie's brothers, two from Canada and one from Australia, have been in Auckland with Mr Gotingco and the couple's children.

The family have been conducting the nine-day novena prayers, a Catholic ceremony to bless the soul of the deceased.

Gallery: Memorial walk for Blessie

Image 1 of 7: A photo of Blessie Gotingco, seen before a candlelit walk in her memory in the suburb of Birkdale. Photo / Steven McNicholl

Mr Gotingco said he continued to be overwhelmed by the support from the public. He said seeing the size of the crowd at a march in Blessie's memory in Birkdale on Saturday blew him away and compelled some family members to join in.

"I was thinking I'd only stay to shake hands with the organisers and say thank you. We were really happy. Two of my sons joined the march eventually and Blessie's three brothers."

Mr Gotingco said the family was now focused on the trial of the man police believe killed Blessie.

"From here on what we would like to happen is just to give justice to my wife."

A 27-year-old man has been charged with murdering Mrs Gotingco. He has been remanded in custody until he appears in the High Court on June 18. A post-mortem examination has been carried out on Mrs Gotingco's body but police said it was now up to the coroner to release the cause of death and declined to comment further.

For more stories on Blessie Gotingco go here.