Kristin Johnston's siblings say she found a secondary family in Halifax

Kristin Johnston's siblings are remembering their sister as someone who was "great at loving people."

"She was a great little sister and I'll miss her tremendously," Michael Johnston said. "It's going to be hard not being an older brother for the rest of my life."

The 32-year-old yoga instructor was killed in her home off Purcells Cove Road in Halifax. Police found her body on Saturday morning in the house she owned on Oceanview Drive. Her brother and parents flew to Halifax from Montreal, where Johnston grew up, shortly after they received the news.

Her older sister, Kim, said the family is gathering in Montreal and are planning to hold a private memorial service in her hometown.

Kim says her sister moved to Halifax about five years ago after discovering the city during a summer spent exploring the East Coast. Nova Scotiareminded Kristinof New Zealand, where she had lived while studying abroad as an undergraduate at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont.

"She was very affected by the people there," Kim said. "It seemed like a community she couldn't find in Montreal."

"She just fell in love with [Halifax], she fell in love with the people, she had a really great summer there."

Kim says her sister found a community and a supportive secondary family in the city, but remained very close to her siblings.

Kristinsaw her brother and sisterduring a family vacation in Florida just three weeks ago. Kim says the memories of that vacation and other travels with her sister are more important to her than ever.

"That's a recent memory that I allow my brain to focus on," she said. "We travelled to India and Nepal together for six months, so I just try to think about that."

"She was such a big part of my life."