MADISON, Wis. -- A local woman is finally able to hold a memorial for her mother more than three decades after she disappeared and about two months after her father admitted he killed his then-wife.

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The life of Madison mother of three and flight instructor Jeanette Zapata was honored at a church service Saturday morning. But it's only one way her memory will live on.

That's because her youngest daughter, Linda Zapata, a Cottage Grove nurse, told WISC-TV that she and some Madison police officers are starting up a Web site named after her mother.

The Jean Foundation will help other families in the U.S. who also have missing loved ones, a journey that for Linda Zapata has pretty much come full circle.

In her first interview since the sentencing of her father for her mother's death, Linda Zapata told WISC-TV that, "The last 30 years were the worst. Those were so painful."

Linda was 11 years old when she and her older brother and sister were supposedly abandoned by their mother. At least that is what their father told them. But more 30 years and one confession later, it's now clear that was not the case.

The truth came out mid February when Jean Zapata's husband back in 1976, Eugene, finally admitted that he bludgeoned and strangled her, then hid her body for decades before dumping it in a landfill.

His detailed confession was shared with Linda Zapata.

"It was like, OK, you know. I'm going to listen to this and I'm going to listen to every word he says no matter how gruesome and horrible it is because I'm going to be there for her that morning when he did that," Linda Zapata said.

For Linda Zapata, the reopened cold case has been a surreal journey, from the search for human remains at a landfill to her father being charged and ultimately confessing. But Linda Zapata said that now at least there is some closure, in the form of an official obituary and religious memorial service.

Thirty-two years after Jean Zapata died, her life and accomplishments will be remembered Saturday by long lost friends and family.

Linda Zapata said she has been bombarded with phone calls and e-mails from long-lost relatives, who are now part of an extended family she never knew she had.

"It's a joy to be able to get everybody together for the memorial service and give her the respect she was due," Linda Zapata said.

And Jean Zapata's memory won't fade away after the service because of The Jean Foundation Web site. In the murdered mother's memory, it will provide funding and expertise so other law enforcement agencies can help other families caught in the same turmoil.

"There's definitely a population out there in the United States that are truly suffering from their missing loved ones, and every time human remains are found those families hold their breath. We just really want to take Jeanette's story and maybe curtail some of the pains and help someone else," said Caren Corcoran, one of the Madison police officers spearheading the effort to get the Web site running.

Corcoran's cadaver dogs played a key role in charging Eugene Zapata. She, the lead detective, and Linda Zapata said they hope to develop a clearinghouse of cold case help on the yet-to-be formulated Web site to help other cities can solve their missing person cases, too.

Those who are interested in helping develop the Web site, have a special expertise to contribute or would just like to make a donation that would go towards searches and other expenses, organizers said you can send mail and memorials to The Jean Foundation, PO Box 68, Cottage Grove, WI, 53527.

The memorial mass was held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Monona.