But in every other aspect of his life he was more than generous, those who knew him said. In fact, even his fastidious dedication to a single rectangle of pavement was indicative of the thing he shared most often: his sense of humor.

Bryce crashed his Jetta on Shannon Road in Los Gatos April 24 and died hours later. With him went his bright spirit and an ear-to-ear smile mentioned by nearly everyone who talks about him.

"If there was anyone you'd want here to help you through something like this, it was Bryce," classmate Carley Stavis said.

He told friends he wanted to achieve two goals before graduating from Los Gatos High next year: to get to know everyone at the school, and then to bring them all together somehow. Many have said he was well on his way to doing both.

He made many of his friends simply by walking up to them and saying, "Hi, I haven't seen you around before." Between his willingness to break the ice with strangers and his involvement in a wide variety of activities—junior varsity volleyball, student government, school site council, Pop Warner football, wrestling, the WB television network's student council and more—he touched the lives of hundreds of students, parents, educators, coaches and family members.

"He didn't care what people thought about him," classmate Ali Rubnitz said. "He always had a smile on his face ... If he saw someone sad, he'd try and crack a joke. He was always the one cheering other people up."

Bryce's position on the WB council called for him to produce and act in public service announcements. Friends including Leila Vaez-Iravani said he often told them he would become famous and marry singer Beyonce Knowles. While the latter was just to get a laugh, most friends didn't doubt they would see his name in lights someday.

"I feel like our whole class was in a line walking forward, and he fell into a hole," Leila said.

Bryce's volleyball team has dedicated the remainder of its season to him. His teammates now wear memorial armbands with his name and number 17, and some even sport white headbands as he did.

Coach Louisa Scoggins said he was the team's leader, motivating the other players.

"That's what makes it so difficult—he was the one who kept the team together," she said. "Bryce was just happy, always laughing and dancing, always wanted to make sure you smiled."

Friends and family members filled the main hall at Calvary Church April 29 to pay tribute to Bryce. Justin Krueger and Chris Murdock said he was the third member of their trio of friends. They would hang out every weekend, often spending the night at one another's homes. Justin spent the day of the 24th running errands with Bryce before the accident.

"I just think about how I was lucky to spend his last day with him," he said. "Even though we didn't do that much, it was a great day. Probably one of the greatest days I ever had with him."

Bryce's father, Stephen Byrd, described him as a faithful, honest, loving boy who wanted nothing more than happiness for himself and others. He and Bryce's birth mother, Maria Dawson, divorced several years ago, and Byrd said his son had a loving relationship with both her and his stepmother, Jill Byrd.

He shared several memories, such as the time he noticed a light on in Bryce's room late at night. He opened the door quietly and prepared to tell him that it was much too late to be reading.

"He was reading the Bible," Byrd said. "Bryce could stop you in your tracks with something like that."

He said that he had known his son was popular, but learned through his death that he took the time to "cherish each and every one of his friends."

Having lost his father at the age of 7 and had family friends who were morticians, Byrd said he had dealt with death since he was young. Nothing, however, prepared him to outlive one of his own young children.

"I'm still struggling to understand why, on a beautiful spring day in April, God took Bryce from us," he said. "My faith has taught me that God doesn't present you with any challenges you can't bear, but this is more than I can bear."

Bryce's family has set up a scholarship fund in his memory. Donations to the Bryce Byrd Spirit Memorial Foundation may be made at Bank of the West, 308 N. Santa Cruz Ave., Los Gatos, CA 95030, Attn: Heidi Krueger.