The mood in this town of about 6,300 was muted, like Ms. Lee’s approach to celebrity, which she eschewed. She may have written a book that has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide since its publication in 1960, but there were no news trucks and no police officers outside the church as her coffin, adorned with a spray of red and white roses, was wheeled into the church.

“She wanted to be buried before anyone knew she was dead, and we’re getting as close to it as possible,” said George Landegger, an industrialist and philanthropist, who attended the service.

In addition to the private memorial service, the church opened in the afternoon to allow people to offer their sympathies and best wishes to Ms. Lee’s extended family and her lawyer, Tonja B. Carter.

Until she died in her sleep early Friday, at the age of 89, Ms. Lee had lived at the Meadows, an assisted living facility here. She was buried at Pineville Cemetery near the church, next to her father, Amasa Coleman Lee, who was the role model for her fictional character Atticus Finch, and near the graves of her mother, Frances, and her sister Alice.

Ms. Lee, known here as Nelle, was a Methodist, and Alice Lee held a number of prominent positions with the church and was also its lawyer.