Community Remembers Teen Killed in Crash

Hundreds of students and members of the community gathered Saturday night at St. Mary’s Church in memory of Winchester High School senior Patrick Gill, who passed away early Saturday after his vehicle hit a tree off Manomet Road.

On Sunday, the community gathered again at Skillings Field, where a quiet candlelight vigil turned into a cheerful celebration of singing, chanting and the release of balloons into the sky, the Boston Globe reported.

Gill was the kind of person who would have wanted people to celebrate his life instead of mourning, his twin sister Erin Gill told the Boston Globe.

Gill played hockey, lacrosse and was the captain of Winchester High School’s football team. His football coach Wally Dembowski said Gill was a leader to everyone at the school, CBS Local reported.

Dembowski said Gill touched just about every life in town. “Patrick was a glue to all the kids, immensely popular with everyone on the team,” he told CBS Local.

Football teammate Patrick Costello said a talented athlete like Gill was expected to be a leader, and “he lived up to that,” the Globe reported.

A friend of Gill, Kevin Diarbakerly, told WCVB-TV that he was “the type of kid who brought the community together.”

Diarbakerly said Gill had a vibrant personality and could always put people in a good mood. “Give him two seconds and you’d feel like you knew him your whole life,” he told WCVB-TV. “He was just one of those kids.”

A funeral for Gill will take place at 11 a.m. on Friday at St. Mary’s Church, located at 155 Washington St.