LATEST: Christian rocker STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN and his family have paid tribute to their daughter MARIA SUE, after laying her to rest at a funeral on Saturday (24May08).
The five-year-old - the youngest of three daughters adopted from China by the Grammy-winning singer and his wife - was accidentally struck by a car driven by her teenage brother as he reversed out of the driveway of the family's home in Franklin, Tennessee on Wednesday (21May08).
In a two-hour service at Nashville's Christ Presbyterian Church, 700 mourners listened as her mother Mary Beth remembered her "cuddle bug" for her love of snuggling, drawing flowers and playing in water, reports website People.com.
Standing in front of a small white coffin adorned with pink flowers, the Chapmans held their two other adopted daughters, Shaohannah, eight, and Stevey Joy, five, and embraced their sobbing 17-year-old son, who was devastated at his actions. The teenager draped Maria's pink security blanket around his neck throughout the memorial.
However, the emotional singer admits he can at least take some solace from his faith, saying: "We had talked (with Maria) about what it meant to be with Jesus. I had no idea how soon it was going to be, but we know she is in His amazing house, playing in the water."
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