More than a thousand people gathered to pay their respects to the family of Connor Boyd.
His family says the heartwarming show of support at Cedarview Alliance Church, Monday, is a testament to the 21-year-old’s ability to touch hearts.
“We are so proud of Connor and how many lives he has touched and the genuine connection he has made with almost everyone he’s met,” said his father Robert Boyd at the funeral.
The 21-year-old Carleton University student among the six killed when an OC Transpo bus collided with a VIA Rail passenger train.
It didn’t take long for the funeral service to be filled be laughter as friends and loved ones spoke about Boyd’s ability to always make them laugh.
“Above all he was a funny kid. A very, very, very funny kid,” says Ian Lockhart.
Lockhart went to high school with Boyd and says he stole the show in a school play.
“It's a tragedy what happened but I can honestly say in the very short time I've known him just throughout high school he captured hearts,” Lockhart says.
Friends also read from Boyd’s journal. As a young poet he wrote about everything from the comical observations of cold pizza to careful reflections of future careers.
“An old soul in a very good way. Spontaneous, incredibly caring, wonderfully gifted. Well, he was called renaissance man a number of times,” says Boyd’s former teacher Ron Williamson.
The Boyd family says Connor would not want people to grieve, instead to turn to old memories and jokes to make them laugh.
In Memoriam, the family asks donations be made to the Sandy Hill Community Health Centre or Carleton University Scholarship.
With a report from CTV’s John Hua
