BUFFALO, N.Y. — Family, friends and the greater community said their goodbyes to one of the victims killed in Saturday's racially-motivated mass shooting in Buffalo.

People lined up outside Lincoln Memorial United Methodist Church to pay their respects to Heyward Patterson, 67, remembered as a good man who served others.

"Deacon Patterson, he was great in the community. Great in the church. He loved his pastor. He loved his family and we are going to miss him dearly," said Patterson's friend Leonard Lane.

The two sat next to each in church for years. Patterson was a deacon at State Tabernacle Church of God. Lane recalls a gospel song Patterson often quoted.

"He said, 'trouble in my way, I'm going to have to cry sometimes,' And guess what, trouble is here now and we do have to cry, but we know what, Jesus will fix it," Lane said.

Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo, was among those who came to pay his respects and offer condolences to Patterson's family in the wake of such a senseless loss. 

"We have to come together and support each and understand each other more clearly with great empathy, with love, with compassion,” Higgins said. “And I think that this is really the beginning of that healing process to the extent that people can heal from this.”

Patterson is being remembered for his willingness to help others — volunteering to drive seniors to appointments or the grocery store, which is what he was doing when he was killed.

"He was serving, putting packages in his car when he got shot," Lane said. "So this legacy is going to be about serving. So what we have to is serve, regardless of what color skin you are. Regardless of what religious background you came from. Regardless of what ethnic background you come from. The most important thing is it's about serving the community, and that's what he was doing, was serving the community when he got shot."

Patterson's son is only 12 years old. Lane, who heads the Buffalo F.A.T.H.E.R.S. group, says they're going to make sure the young boy knows he's loved by his community. 

Deacon Heyward Patterson is survived by his former wife and three children among other family and friends.