Nearly 450 pack Tim Neuer's "Celebration of Life"

Tim Neuer was a "ray of light" who "always had a smile" and a twinkle in his eye, friends and family said Thursday.

"There are so many good memories we have of him," said Neuer's childhood friend Areamy Green Dada of Santa Rosa. "I think all we can do is live with the good memories -- I feel that's what's important."

Dada was one of about 450 people who packed Druid Hall in Santa Rosa Thursday  at a "Celebration of Life" event for Neuer, 29, who lthat he shared with girlfriend Amanda "Mandy" Miller.

"He was a ray of light," said close friend Scott Keneally in a eulogy delivered to the group. Keneally's talk preceded a slide show of Neuer and Mandy Miller during happier times.

"His sunny disposition has touched all of us here," Keneally said.

Keneally told several stories about Neuer that highlighted Neuer's playfulness, love of debate and "most of all, his love for Mandy -- he adored her," Keneally said.

Mandy Miller, 24, a tall, slender blonde who served in the military in Iraq and who has been attending Santa Rosa Junior College, sat quietly in the front row during the speech and slide show.

Keneally said and recounted how "Tim would do anything to make her happy," Keneally said.

"The world is a little bit darker place now that he's gone," Keneally added, "but I trust that he will shine on forever in our hearts, our minds and our memories."

Tables of photos, flowers and food were set up as friends and family from all over Sonoma County and the Bay Area laughed, cried and hugged each other as they remembered how Neuer had touched their lives.

"He was the nicest guy you could ever meet," said Neuer's friend Mike Lodin of Santa Rosa. "He always had a smile."

A stack of cards was available for people to write notes to Neuer and his family and drop them in a bowl. Another bowl held wallet-sized copies of Neuer's photo.

"I only talked to him once, when he was 18," said Selma Laetari of Santa Rosa, who said Neuer's father was friends with her oldest son. "He stole my heart."

Mandy Miller's brother Jarrod Miller, 29, of Cloverdale, is being held without bail at Sonoma County Jail,

Police allege that Jarrod Miller appeared at Neuer's and Miller's sister's home on the night of March 8, and, after being asked to leave, shot Neuer multiple times with a small caliber handgun.

Police said they do not have a motive for the shooting.

Jarrod Miller, who had once lived in the Alexander Valley Road home before moving to Cloverdale several months ago, . A preliminary hearing is set for 9 a.m. May 19 before Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Arthur Wick.

Neuer was the former owner and founder of Thrive Hydroponics, an indoor/outdoor garden supplies shop in Healdsburg. At the time of his death, he had been away from the shop for about six months and was no longer a manager or employee there, friends said.

Neuer's family held a private funeral service earlier this month. On Thursday, Mandy Miller's mother Barbi Evans said her daughter received Neuer's ashes.

"They gave her a silver heart with Tim's ashes in it," Evans said.

Dada, 30, said she grew up with Neuer in Guerneville and then both attended Cazadero Academy.

"Everybody used to live in Guerneville and everybody knows everybody else," she said, blinking back tears. "It's a very small community, and I think it's hitting us all very hard."