HILTON, N.Y. — A Hilton mother is getting ready to hold a memorial for her daughter, 10 years after the girl was killed by her father in a murder-suicide.

Raechel Coffey read one of the poems she wrote about her daughter, Noel.

"There's no snow on your grave this Christmas, only mud and the trees lost in the moment are budding in late December,” Coffey said. “Father speaks of angels, visiting shepherds while demons appear to mothers. There's a sliver of moon, frozen like a tear in the great expansive. And as of death weren't so obviously mocking me, the crows pepper the sky with caws one octave of the banshee's wail."

Noel was 10 years old when she and her 3-year-old sister Mia were killed by their father in a murder-suicide in Lake George on September 5, 2011.

For Coffey, the writings have kept Noel's memory alive.

"Reading my poems and watching her on video,” Coffey said. “I have a few memories of her coming through. She was very vibrant. She danced a lot. She sung a lot. She loved dancing. She was very smart."

Coffey says the poems have helped her cope, but admits it is still a daily struggle.

"We're going on year 10,” Coffey said. “I just put her pictures up a few weeks ago, and I am okay with looking at them, but I made the mistake the other day of looking at a video. It just tore me apart. It was just right back to square one all over again."

Both Noel and Mia's memory were honored with a tribute in the Sunday edition of the Democrat & Chronicle.

Coffey is also planning a memorial on Labor Day at Village Elementary in Hilton at 2 p.m., where she will read nine poems she wrote about the loss of her daughter, followed by a butterfly release.

"I really hope the Hilton community comes out and remembers them, especially the children who are now college students," Coffey said.