Natasha Neal remembers former roommate Amy Chesbro as a "free spirit."

The two met in 1993 while they were freshmen at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. Neal was studying psychology, and Chesbro was in the creative writing program.

"We lived down the hall from each other and just sort of met while we were living in the dorm," Neal said.

Today, Neal was among those remembering Chesbro, 35, of Ypsilanti, who was shot to death outside her Livonia workplace last week.

The shooting occurred at 8:30 a.m. Thursday at a business on Victor Parkway in Livonia. Chesbro died at a Livonia hospital Friday night.

"She was just a very kind person, intelligent, optimistic and free-spirited," said Neal, of Chicago. "She's one of my favorite people, so I'm really sad."

Julie Ann Hopwood is accused of driving more than 600 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina, and waiting 45 minutes outside the Livonia business complex before shooting Chesbro, according to WXYZ.

Maria Miller, spokeswoman for the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, said Hopwood was charged with first-degree murder and using a firearm to commit a felony in connection with the shooting. She's being held without bond at the Wayne County Jail.

Miller said Chesbro and Hopwood were acquainted but would not say how. A report by the Observer says Hopwood is the sister of Chesbro's fiance.

Neal said she lived with Chesbro and Chesbro's twin sister Carrie Chesbro in Northhampton, Massachusetts, for a year after college. She said they kept in touch over the years via Facebook and e-mail, and Chesbro attended her wedding.

"I hadn't actually spoken to her about it, but I was thinking about going to visit her this winter," Neal said.

Neal said Chesbro was "good at a lot of things" — writing poetry, singing, cooking.

Carrie Chesbro declined an interview with AnnArbor.com, but said in a Facebook message, "(Amy) was my twin, my best friend, and the person who has understood me most throughout my life. Amy was loving, creative, wicked smart, and too many other things to mention." 

Beatrice Underwood-Sweet, of Lexington, Kentucky, is Chesbro's cousin. She said she last saw her in 2007 at a great-aunt's birthday celebration.

"I think (her immediate family) is hanging in there, and they're really remembering the good times and the funny times," she said. "But they're still having a hard time."

Underwood-Sweet said her cousin was an activist for such causes as breast cancer research, animal rescue and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning issues.

"She was vibrant, she was a leader, and she was the one that all the other cousins looked up to," she said. "Amy lived a very full and happy life."

Cynthia Neal, Natasha Neal's mother and a resident of St. Louis, Missouri, said she was always proud her daughter had a friend like Chesbro.

"She was the brightest star of all of Natasha’s friends," Cynthia Neal said. “The delight in knowing her was extraordinary. She was just one of those extra divine human beings.”

Cynthia Neal described Chesbro as compassionate, witty, and an amazing writer.

“You didn’t forget her when you met her,” she said.

Underwood-Sweet said Chesbro's family has asked that memorial gifts be made to the Humane Society of Washtenaw County, the Arbor Day Foundation or an area food bank.

According to her obituary, Chesbro — also known as Amy Kate — earned a master's degree in information science at the University of Michigan.

"A natural teacher, Amy enjoyed her students at Cleary Business School and Washtenaw Community College and was seeking an MBA to further her career in account management and sales at Attendance on Demand of Infotronics when she died tragically on Dec. 17," the obituary says.

A celebration of Chesbro's life will be held from 1-4 p.m. Thursday at the Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest, 1275 S. Huron St. in Ypsilanti.