Residents of the Vankleek Hill area gathered Sunday to celebrate the life of a local teen they called "the gentle giant."
Garett Allen, 18, died last week after the truck he was driving slammed into a parked trailer blocking the lane. He and his girlfriend, Naomi Theoret, were pronounced dead at the scene.
"He was a really nice person. He was really good at sports. He loved Ski-Dooing and he worked really hard," said friend Patrick Poirier.
Family and friends surrounded his casket carrying his beloved snowmobile helmet.
Ski-Doos lined the front of the church and members of his rugby club congregated together to greet their late friend inside.
Allen's friends say it has been a week of tears and extreme grief.
"He was a huge part of the community, never did harm to anybody – just the best guy around town," said James Wilson.
Wilson says Allen was reliable and kind-hearted.
"Sometimes I had tough times couldn't get to my soccer games, he would come to my place to pick me up. He had a heart bigger than anybody."
At 6"2' and 240 lbs, the gentle giant was literally bigger than most his age.
Friends say he was very much in love with his girlfriend; and the loss of two young lives is taking its toll.
But loved ones say Allen wouldn't stand for tears. Instead, they are trying their best to remember the moments the young couple cherished most – time spent together.
With a report from CTV's John Hua
