Slain Former Temecula Salon Owner Mourned

Stepping into Randy Fannin's Salon Meritage was like "going into a sitcom," one man recalled Friday, standing outside Fannin's funeral in Santa Ana. "Everyone was real bubbly."

It all came to an abrupt end Oct. 12, when by a hail of gunfire at the Seal Beach shop.

On Friday, as toddlers cavorted on the grass, jets zoomed overhead and birds chirped softly in the trees, was gently laid to rest at Fairhaven Memorial Park, midway between his Seal Beach business and Murrieta home.

Earlier in the afternoon, a long line of mourners wrapped around Fairhaven's stone chapel and curved lanes, waiting to pay final respects to the 62-year-old stylist, who was known for his love of golf, wine and travel.

At the family's request, Patch, the Los Angeles Times, KNX 1070, KABC-TV and KTLA-TV stood outside the cemetery gates during the 50-minute service, which included a slide show of Fannin's life and letters read by his family, one guest said later.

People also shared memories online, via a memorial page set up by the cemetery:

• I know that he was a friend to thousands, but he made you feel, in the moments you spent with him, that you were the one who was the most important. ... Since this senseless tragedy has occurred, I have begun to rethink my own life. I will no longer put things off until tomorrow when it comes to my loved ones. I will hug harder and more often. I will not take each moment for granted. Thank you Randy for being my friend. See ya kiddo.
• As soon as you went into the Salon, you could feel the love and great energy there. I feel blessed to have known him.

Another online tribute recalled Fannin's sense of humor and musical talent in a 1960s high school band called the Weeds. "The guitar Randy played had this shiny silver plate which kind of acted as a mirror. Well, Randy being so handsome, [he] would look at himself while playing, [which] had us all laughing. RIP."

At Friday's funeral, friends, clients and relatives spilled out of the 200-seat chapel into a courtyard and side chapel.

Occasionally, snippets of music -- the Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody"  and a mournful rendition of the Lord's Prayer -- filtered across the sprawling lawn, past the splattering fountain and lone Seal Beach police officer standing sentry at the chapel door.

After the service, a black hearse glided slowly down the cemetery's narrow roadway, followed by a police car and a small procession of mourners on foot, walking arm-in-arm toward a nearby gravesite.

There, under a canopy of shade trees, Fannin's loved ones hugged, snapped photos and said their final farewells. Randy Lee Fannin, rest in peace.