IRONDEQUOIT, N.Y. -- Michael Lynch died Thursday afternoon. The teen boy was hit by a car on the way to school two weeks ago.

People in Irondequoit and beyond were holding out hope for Lynch's recovery and donating to help the Lynch family with medical bills.

Lynch was 14 and a freshman at Irondequoit High School when March 30, he was hit crossing Cooper Road while walking to school.

“Going back to school it’s going to be really hard for everyone,” said Lynch’s friend Maya Davis. “But he would want us to be happy. He would want us to remember him as the happy class clown that he was.”

It hits home for many in Irondequoit and a vigil was held Thursday evening at I-Square.

“My son and this young man go to school together, they played T-ball together,” said Irondequoit Police Chief Richard Tantalo. “We like to say that maybe Irondequoit’s a big town, but it’s really a small-town community.”

That extends even to those at the I-Square vigil who didn’t know the family personally -- but can understand their pain.

“I did not know the family,” said Jessica Aponte of Irondequoit, who lead the prayer at the vigil. “But as a mother, I could just absolutely relate to what she might be going through. It would be a nightmare for every mother out there, and my heart truly goes out to the family.”

For those who knew him best, it seemed fitting that so many would come together to remember the light he brought to the community.

“He was a person that just walked up to anyone and made them feel included, made them feel happy, made them just smile,” said Davis, who participated in a theatre group with Lynch. “And to see that he touched so many lives is incredible. I’m not surprised. That’s the person that he was.”

A statement from West Irondequoit Central Schools reads, in part, "We will remember him as a talented and caring young man. We will all miss his presence in our lives."

A family statement thanked the community for "the outpouring of love and support.  We cherish your thoughts and prayers and will continue to need them in the days and months ahead."