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Loved Ones Remember Charleroi Teen Killed In Crash

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – A young man killed in a car crash earlier this week was remembered Saturday night.

Friends and family gathered in his hometown of Charleroi.

On Feb. 23, 18-year-old Nicholas Gavazzi died in a car crash in Armstrong County. That's how he was lost – but friends and family celebrated how he lived.

"There are no words to describe how I feel about him," said friend Ashley Watkins.

Gavazzi was valedictorian of Charleroi High School's class of 2014. Gavazzi always wore a trademark bow tie. Saturday, bow ties were present – fine silk knots in remembrance of an incredible, wise old soul in such a young man.

"Nobody could keep up with him," said Watkins. "They had to change the curriculum for him, he was just that smart."

The gathering was a way to grieve – not figure out the unanswerable question of why Nick. Instead, many have decided to commemorate the rest of their lives to a special young leader who will never have that same privilege.

"He was the greatest person I've ever known," said friend Matthew Indorante. "I'll raise my kids to be just like him."

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