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SPRINGVILLE — Hundreds of town folks, teammates, family and friends packed the Hobble Creek Stake Center in east Springville on Tuesday afternoon to pay their final respects to Brandon Jesse Curtis.
Curtis, 18, died last Wednesday from injuries suffered a day earlier in a rollover accident in the Springville High School parking lot following football practice. Three other members of the Red Devils' football team were injured in the accident, but all three are now out of the hospital and recovering.
At Tuesday's service, in front of a standing-room-only gathering, Springville coach Scott Mitchell talked of how supportive Curtis was of others and how he always showed concern for the less fortunate. When Curtis would finish first in the team's running drills, he'd then go back and encourage those at the end of the pack to keep pushing.
"Brandon was always abounding in good works," Mitchell said.
He called Curtis his "superhero" and compared him to the ancient Book of Mormon prophet Abinadi, saying the things Curtis did in his short life will have a lasting impact on others for the rest of their lives.
"He died before he could witness the great influence and impact of his life," Mitchell said.
Family friend Matt Day said Curtis was always "doing and experiencing" and he called him a "Christ-like man" who people were drawn to.
"His desire to be a righteous man and help other people, he didn't have to try. It was just his nature," Day said.
Craig Lamont, Curtis' youth wrestling coach, consoled Curtis' six younger siblings, and told them so many were in attendance because of how their brother touched so many lives. The funeral, he said, was to help the survivors heal.
"We are a community of love, and it's important to remember that during these times we are all together, and that we all care about each other," Lamont said.
Following the funeral, the Springville High football team formed an honorary procession lining the path from the chapel to the hearse, which carried Curtis' casket to the Springville Evergreen Cemetery for burial.
Efforts continue to raise money to help the Curtis family with medical and funeral expenses. Prior to Curtis' death, his father Jesse was hospitalized with a life-threatening illness and is currently unemployed.
At a blood drive held in Curtis' honor Monday at the high school, more than 200 people donated blood. A car wash held in the school parking lot raised several thousand dollars. More than 800 shirts, honoring Springville's "No. 30," have been sold to raise money. Cash donations are still being accepted at Ream's grocery store and at Central Bank and Trust.
"It is great to see the compassion that people show to someone they most likely have never seen," Springville senior running back Marcus Case said.
E-mail: jimr@desnews.com
