By Lori EhdeMore than 800 people gathered in the Cardinal Gym Saturday afternoon to mourn the loss of 16-year-old Chris Ashby, who was killed in a July 5 car accident.At the funeral an entire section of bleachers was filled by young people who lost their fellow teammate, band member and classmate.Ashby played trumpet in the concert and marching band, and his fellow trumpet players performed at the funeral.He was a member of the "Magnificent Seven" who took home first-place honors for Luverne at the state track meet. Those teammates placed their medals in the casket, and they’ll be in the urn after cremation.Many of the young people in the gym Saturday were from area towns and knew Chris through various sporting competitions.Chris took second place in the state 300-meter hurdles, and the boy who took first place at the event drove 5 1/2 hours to Luverne to attend the funeral.The eighth-place winner from Redwood Falls also attended and gave the Ashbys a movie of the performance (they were going to study it to learn how to beat Ashby). The obituary on page 7A highlights the long list of accomplishments in Chris’ relatively short life.The same tenacity he showed in sports followed him off the court and field as well. He was involved in his family and church. He was an A student and he was well-liked by a wide range of friends with varying interests.Over the past 10 months, he spent a good share of time with his girlfriend, Alyssa Klein. She was the last person he talked to on the day he died, and one of the first to speak at his funeral."From the minute I met him I knew he was one of a kind," she said Saturday. "He always had to do things fast and he always had to be first."She said Chris dreamed of one day playing on the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team."God must have needed another perfect angel, and now all we have left are his memories," she said. She and many of his friends and family said Chris never had a bad day."I used to ask him, ‘Why are you always so happy?’ And he’d say, ‘Live life to the fullest.’ And that’s certainly what he did."Fast start to a short lifeChris’ need for speed was first apparent in his toddler years.He could often be found on his tricycle pedaling along Blue Mound Avenue behind his athletic parents, Gene and Barb Ashby. His little legs pumped furiously to keep up, showing all the tenacity of an athlete in the making.Physical fitness was important in the Ashby home, and by the time Chris was 6, he was pedaling along with his parents on a bike trip from Luverne to Sioux Falls.The Ashby family made that annual ride every year since then. "That first year, we had to coax him a little," Gene recalled. "But last year, he slept in a half-hour after we left and still beat us there."It was one of many annual family trips and traditions the Ashbys enjoyed together. Gene and Barb are planning a memorial ride this fall and are inviting others to join them.The Ashbys recognized early that their son was athletically gifted, and they gave him opportunities to compete in everything from pedal pulls (first in state and third in nationals as a 4-year-old) to youth wrestling (he qualified for state in 2000)."He excelled in so many things, and we knew he’d do well later in life. We were fortunate in that regard as parents," Gene said. "… He was my hero."But Chris’ parents also recognized the importance of teaching good character."Before he started seventh grade, I made him sit down and write an essay about humility. And he did," Gene said. "I don’t know if it helped, though."He must have learned something about good sportsmanship, though, because Chris was known for congratulating other athletes after competitions, regardless of who won."At track meets, he’d shake hands with the winners and tell them, ‘Next time all you’ll see is my back side,’" Gene said.Barb said Chris’ life was on the fast track from the time he was born."Chris always did everything fast, fast, fast, and we tell people it was that way from the beginning," Barb said about Chris’ adoption proceedings."We got a call at 5 p.m. on a Thursday telling us that we’d have a baby on Friday morning, so we had one day to go to Pamida and get everything we’d need for a baby."She said they always liked the name Christopher, but when they learned he was born on Christopher Columbus Day (Oct. 12) that clinched the decision. Because Chris’ heritage is half African American, they decided on Martin (as in Martin Luther King) for a middle name.Finding comfortThe Ashbys said they’ve found comfort in the generous support from their friends and family, from Chris’ friends and teammates and from the entire community."We had several hundred people on our front lawn that day – people I didn’t even know," she said. "People have been so nice. … There are so many people to thank."For example, she said Gene and Chris trimmed trees in the Ashby yard on Tuesday last week, and Chris was supposed to pick them up the next day. Members of the football team recently came with a pickup and cleared the yard.His teammates will remember him in special ways when school resumes this fall. For example, football players will display his number on their helmets, and basketball players are planning to wear black armbands during games."We’ll continue to go to athletic events and support Chris’ teams," Barb said.Barb and Gene said Chris was a good driver, but he simply made a mistake when he turned in front of the semi last week."You can’t tell teenagers how to drive, but if you could tell them — just for me — to look twice," Barb said. "Just take one more look."‘We’re not really supposed to be here’Former United Methodist Church pastor Bart Fletcher returned from his new congregation in Mankato to officiate the service."We’re not really supposed to be here," he said. "Children are supposed to bury their parents and their grandparents. Parents and grandparents aren’t supposed to bury their children."He said that everyone has questions about why Chris died."A big question we have is ‘What do we do now, when life comes to a screeching halt in such a tragic way?"’ Fletcher said. "I can’t imagine what it’s like to have invested all this time and energy and love and to have it ripped from us."But he said the Biblical Mary and Joseph knew what that was like when their son (the one Joseph adopted as his own) died an early death."Jesus’ life ended too soon, and he was the only son of God."Fletcher pointed out that the meaning of the name "Christopher" is from the Latin phrase, "Bearer of Christ," and he shared the story of Chris’ confirmation project.He said the students were all supposed to make 1 1/2-foot wooden crosses, but Chris made a giant cross from leftover siding from his parents’ home."I remember thinking, ‘What an appropriate way for Chris to express his faith,’" Fletcher said about the cross that was displayed in the church courtyard. That cross now marks the spot at the intersection of 71st Street and Highway 75 where Chris died.It bears flowers, balloons, handwritten messages, a football helmet and shoes, and other items mourners have placed there."What an appropriate, if not gut-wrenching way to remember Chris," Fletcher said.