Those who knew Cameron Velasquez, 18, describe him as an outgoing person who had an incredible work ethic.

The Buffalo teen was killed in a car accident in Sardinia on Friday as he was driving home for a short first semester break from Alfred State College.

Now his family and friends are coming together to remember him.

“This is a hard time for the whole Bishop Timon community plus south Buffalo itself,” said David Panek, Velasquez’s former ice hockey coach.

Velasquez graduated from Bishop Timon St. Jude High School in Buffalo earlier this year. Panek was Velasquez’s ice hockey coach in his teenage years, including during his freshman year at Timon.

“Every sport he excelled in, he was always playing, he was staying out of trouble and he was doing the right thing and he was pushing himself to be the best he could be both in the classroom, at home, and on the ice rink and on the soccer field,” Panek said.

“It just doesn’t seem real at this point,” said family friend Mark Pukalo.

Pukalo’s son, Luke, grew up playing hockey with Velasquez. The two were roommates as they kicked off their freshman year at Alfred State College. Pukalo started a GoFundMe page after hearing of Velasquez’s death.

“There’s no dollar amount that can repay what happened but to have the financial burden of this situation is something that the family did not need at this time so I’m hoping that the money we raise through this helps Cameron’s family out and it’s one less they’re going to have to deal with through this terrible situation,” Pukalo said.

Velasquez is being remembered as someone who left his mark in the 18 years he lived.

Bishop Timon is holding a prayer service for Velasquez on Monday at 8 a.m. in the school gym. Friends and classmates are encouraged to attend.

“Cameron, we’re going to miss him we love him, It’s a tremendous loss for everyone that knew him,” Pukalo said.

The family will receive visitors Tuesday, October 8, from 2-8 p.m. at Nightengale Funeral Home, 250 Orchard Park Road, West Seneca. The funeral is scheduled for Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at Our Lady of Victory Basilica in Lackawanna. 

This is the second loss this year for the Bishop Timon community: In July, Paul Humphrey, 17, was shot and killed on shot on Briscoe Avenue in Buffalo.  He was a member of the Timon Tigers Football team, which honored his memory this season with the 2-gether campaign. All of the players have helmet decals with Humphrey's jersey #2 and a different player wears his jersey every game. 

Police are still looking for information in his death.