Svetlana Aronov was laid to rest after a solemn funeral service Monday, but to relatives and friends, the mystery surrounding her death didn't end with her burial.

At least 150 people filled the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia on East 93rd Street for a 90-minute service that included prayers, religious hymns and chants.

Aronov, 44, vanished two months ago a few blocks from her home at York Avenue and 64th Street while walking her father's dog, Bim. Police said she was carrying only a cell phone and house keys when she disappeared.

Her body washed up on the Queens side of the East River May 6 and an autopsy showed the cause of death was drowning.

In the church, mourners held flickering candles, standing for the duration of the Russian-language service conducted by the Rev. Andrey Sommer.

During the service, the brown casket that contained Aronov's body was placed in front of the church, covered in white and pink flowers.

Later, six men in black hoisted the casket onto their shoulders and carried it out to a waiting hearse on 93rd Street.

They were followed by immediate family members of Aronov's, including her husband, Dr. Alexander Aronov, and their two daughters.

To some mourners, the funeral hardly brought a sense of closure.

"What can I say? It's such a sad story," Margo Grant, a family friend, said after the service. "Nobody knows what happened."

Originally, police suspected Aronov's death was a homicide. However, the absence of signs of a struggle or injury forced detectives to reconsider that theory.

Aside from suicide or accidental death, detectives also theorized her dog may have jumped into the river and she went after the dog.

"Everyone's in shock, it's a shock when you know someone," said Nataliya Dyakovskaya, a friend of Svetlana for 12 years.

Dyakovskaya met her boyfriend, a ballet dancer, through Aronov, a rare-books dealer, seven years ago. She recalled Aronov as a caring, well-meaning woman who touched many people's lives.

In her case, Dyakovskaya said Aronov helped her boyfriend defect from Communist Russia and she helped him out again after he arrived in the United States.

"She helped him look for a job," said Dyakovskaya, adding she had a reputation for such acts of kindness. "She would help starving artists, buy their art."

Aronov's 45th birthday would have been Mother's Day, while the couple's 25th anniversary would have been May 31, according to a Web site created by friends in her honor.

She was buried at Southampton Cemetery.