Friends, family, classmates turn out to mourn Glenbard West student

Pierre Washington-Steel, his friends and family say, had a positive and lasting impact on almost everyone he met.

On Monday, many of those he touched came to celebrate the life of the 17-year-old Glenbard West High School senior and to mourn his death.

More than 200 people - including family, friends, football teammates and even rivals - crowded into services at Progressive Life Giving Word Cathedral in Hillside to pay their respects.

"For everyone in the community to just come together, it's just unbelievable," said Washington-Steel's aunt, Laveppia Brown, after the service. "The minister was saying how Pierre's life brought people together. All the people just showing support is just a reflection on Pierre's life."

Washington-Steel died Feb. 4, six days after a one-vehicle crash in Glen Ellyn. A passenger, fellow Hilltopper running back Demarco Whitley, 16, attended the funeral and continues to recover from injuries sustained in the accident.

Elder W. James Campbell of St. James Ministries in Chicago noted the diversity and number of mourners and called it a testament to Washington-Steel's effect on others.

"To affect this many people tells you his life was worth living," he said. "It's not how long you live, it's what you do with your living."

Washington-Steel was behind the wheel of a 2008 Ford Fusion when he lost control Jan. 29 and crashed into a utility pole. Fire officials had to extricate the two teens from the wreckage.

Markell Brown attended the funeral dressed in a shirt with a picture of his fallen cousin and a message, "Keep Shining Down From Heaven," emblazoned on the back.

"It was just good to be around him," he said. "He had a good energy."

A portion of the ceremony had the feel of a high school football game. Members of the Glenbard West drum line played as mourners prepared for their final viewing. The line then led the procession out of the church.

Afterward, more than 125 people attended a gathering in Glen Ellyn. As video highlights showed Washington-Steel weaving in and out of defenders, friends and family shared memories.

Becky Kelleher, 17, was featured prominently in the highlights, holding a sign that said "Feel the Steel" at one of Washington-Steel's games. She said to know him was to love him.

"Every time you would see him, you would be in a good mood," she said. "You couldn't be in a bad mood around him."

As the story goes, Washington-Steel once broke up a fight at Glenbard West by showing off some dance moves. It's something a close friend, Deshawn Elliott, said sounds exactly like something he would do.

"He was a caring person," he said. "He was always giving. Every now and then he'd call and just ask me if everything was all right."