Memorial for Slain Coach Overflows

A friend, brother, father figure and inspiration: Elvis Kechechian was many things to many people.

To honor the 26-year-old, , hundreds descended on Santa Margarita Catholic High School for a Monday afternoon memorial Mass.

Intended as an outlet for the grief of students who knew Kechechain—a strength and conditioning coach for the SMCHS ice hockey team since 2010—the ceremony instead attracted more people than could fit inside the campus' Sacred Heart Chapel.

"He was their big brother," said Mike Conway, an assistant coach with the school's ice hockey team. "They all looked up to him."

From frenetic freshmen to seasoned seniors, students respected Kechechian for his enthusiastic, positive attitude and the way he helped the hockey players feel confident in their skills, he said.

"The two words [about Kechechian] that come to mind constantly are 'kind' and 'caring,' " Conway said. "He was the nicest person I've ever met."

Wearing jerseys, hockey team players filed into the chapel to pay their respects to "Coach Elvis" and his grieving family.

A group of close friends wore black T-shirts, ordered in a rush Monday morning for the ceremony, with Kechechian's face on the front and "In Loving Memory" written in white on the reverse.

Kechechian's longtime friend B.J. Jalali said he and two others, Shukri Yanni and Kenneth Woodard, spent Sunday night sorting through photo albums until they found the image of Kechechian they wanted to use for the shirts.

"We were up till 5:30 a.m.," said Jalali, his face tear-stained. "This is pretty surreal. It happened to the wrong person."

Jalali said Kechechian was known for his consistent cheerfulness and willingness to go out of his way to help others.

"He was the one guy that was always in a good mood," Jalali said. "Even if he was in a bad mood, you couldn't tell."

When they were at the gym together, Jalali said, Kechechian would frequently talk about his admiration for SMCHS hockey players and gladly help other gym-goers who asked him for tips, knowing he was a personal trainer.

For some, the sorrow of the occasion was trumped only by outrage at its senseless nature.

"It really is frustrating. I'm more angry than anything," said Greg Chaki of Aliso Viejo. "It wasn't his time." 

Given Kechechian's popularity, the event's overwhelming turnout wasn't a surprise, Chaki said.

"He was a real nice guy, just one of those guys everyone gravitated toward," Chaki said. "He was the life of the party. One of those 'my house is your house, what's mine is yours' type of guys."

Kechechian and his brother, Aris, who was with him when he died, were "best friends" and "inseparable," Chaki said.

"I don't know who it's harder on, his mom or his brother," Chaki said. "When they're that close, it's equal."

At the memorial, mourners jotted memories onto cards that will be eventually given to the Kechechian family as mementos, according to school officials.

The cards were part of a greater effort to gather the thoughts of Kechechian's friends for his family.

A white poster board with a photo of Kechechian in the middle was soon covered in notes expressing admiration, love and sorrow at his untimely death.

The poster, propped up on an easel, flanked a shrine decorated with white calla lilies, photographs and objects that reflected Kechechian's passions, such as his blue SMCHS coaching jacket.

For those who could not attend the service, the chapel will remain open each day through Friday for those who wish to see the display, according to school officials.

Visitors are welcome, but should check in at the front office, school officials said.

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