WESTFIELD/WESTHAMPTON — Hundreds of friends and family members gathered over the weekend to celebrate the vibrant life of Timothy Andrew Slate, 17, a beloved community member and student at Hampshire Regional High School who died as the result of car crash on July 18.

Born in Springfield on June 1, 2007, to parents Michael and Leslie, Slate was known for his selfless spirit and contagious sense of humor. When he wasn’t skiing or playing soccer, he could typically be found working on his truck, or helping a friend with theirs. His consistently kind demeanor made him a lifelong friend to many whose memory of him never fails to bring a smile to the face of those who knew him.

“Timmy was just a good kid. ... He was full of energy,” said longtime family friend Julie Belle-Isle at a gathering celebrating Slate’s life at Shaker Farms Country Club on Saturday afternoon. Belle-Isle recalled Slate spending days at her home with his brothers Michael and Matthew, and the many trips the families took together.

“They grew up skiing together, and we practically lived at Six Flags,” she said. “The first time I ever heard that hot dogs and mac and cheese went together was from those boys. So I’d make it for them all the time, and they loved it. … The kids always had a blast.”

Slate attended St. Thomas the Apostle Elementary School in West Springfield and South Middle School in Westfield. He had just completed his junior year at Hampshire Regional High School in Westhampton.

Friends, educators and classmates of Slate arrived by the dozens to pay their respects and share memories about their time together. Before the event, they also put together a memorial of photos, flowers and energy drinks at the site of the car crash on Southampton Road in Westhampton.

For days, community members have been maintaining the memorial and adding small tokens of remembrance, such as the cross of wrenches that presides above the other items — a nod toward his many projects and future job as a diesel mechanic, which he looked forward to.

“He was always there to talk with people, always walking in with a smile on his face. And he was always hands-on, doing something in the kitchen or on a vehicle,” said lifelong family friend Ashley Salvini. “I remember we would go on daily drives during COVID in my convertible with the top down, just blasting country music.”

Slate’s close friends Henry Harrison, Liam Young, Dylan Hurlburt, and Bradley Kuehner looked back on their memories of Slate with laughter, and struggled to pick favorite instances from their adventures over the years together.

“He would always FaceTime me in school and get his phone taken away,” said Harrison.

“How about the time he almost dropped his boat into the pool in the backyard,” smiled Hurlburt.

“Or pretending to be his dad on the phone with the school to go pick him up,” added Young.

“Yeah, sometime’s I’d pretend to be his dad and drive to the school to pick him up,” admitted Hurlburt, evoking a round of laughter.

They could all agree that their many ski trips to Mount Snow with Slate hold fond memories they’ll carry with them.

Members of Slate’s soccer team will also miss his electric presence both on and off the field, and the laughter he always brought to the locker room.

“He was always just the kid that would make you smile, and he was always looking out for others,” said teammate Aidan Miklasiewicz. “If anything bad happened on the field, he was the first person to back you up.”

“He always had his own thing going on,” said teammate Aidan Moynahan. “One of my favorite pictures here was taken after practice, and we were all wearing practice shorts, but he’s standing in the middle in his jeans and a bright work vest. … That’s just what he was like. He’d always make us laugh.”

Slate’s undeniably bright presence in the lives of so many in the community will be missed, and his memory will live on in the stories shared of his kind nature and the laughter he shared with others.

“Timmy,” Salvini. said, “go give heaven a run for their money.”

Alexa Lewis can be reached at alewis@gazettenet.com.