Several hundred people gathered Saturday in Raleigh, N.C., to remember Elizabeth Edwards, the estranged wife of former Sen. John Edwards who gave the public an up close look at her battle with incurable breast cancer and her husband's infidelity.

She was remembered by family and friends including several members of Congress and Sen. John Kerry, with whom John shared the the 2004 Democratic presidential ticket.

The hour-long funeral service was open to the public and was held at the Edenton Street United Methodist Church in Raleigh where the funeral of their 16-year-old son, Wade, was also held when he died in 1996.

In addition to her work on the campaign trail with her husband, Edwards was a best-selling author and an attorney. She also widely championed causes like health care and poverty.

NPR reports, "Speakers recalled Edwards as a woman filled with energy, intellect and humor. They joked they had trouble coming up with what to say without the woman who used to leave notes of advice for those close to her."

In her eulogy, Edwards' 28-year-old daughter, Cate, said, "She was feisty and she was witty. She always had the ability to make fun of herself and laugh at herself. She was smart as a whip and tried never to hold that over anyone, unless she was right and they were wrong."

Two close friends of Edwards' also spoke, but John did not.

Elizabeth and John separated in January following news that he had fathered a baby with Rielle Hunter, a campaign videographer.

On Monday Edwards wrote on her Facebook page, "You all know that I have been sustained throughout my life by three saving graces? My family, my friends, and a faith in the power of resilience and hope," she wrote. "These graces have carried me through difficult times and they have brought more joy to the good times than I ever could have imagined."

Edwards died Tuesday morning after a six-year battle with breast cancer. She was 61.

A family friend said her three children and John were by her side when she died.

She was to be buried in a private service next to Wade's grave following the funeral.

John will continue to raise the two younger children, Emma Claire, 12, and Jack, 10.