Hurt, VA - The Hurt community says they will not forget Devin Wayne Kirby. Those close to him say it wouldn't even be possible if they tried.

State Police say the 16-year-old died when his pickup truck flipped over on Shula Drive in Pittsylvania County around 8:30 Sunday night.

Those who knew him best say he was an athlete, an excellent student, a person of great faith, and he clearly made a big impression on them.

Faith is one of the things Kirby's friends say bound them together, and it's helping them cope with losing their friend they say had a magnetic personality.

Devin Kirby hadn't been driving very long.

Kirby's yearbook photo

Devin’s mother Kim Moore said, "I preached be a careful driver, drive slow, don't talk on the cell phone, watch what you're doing."
His mother rode up on the accident.

"You always think it's going to be somebody else," Moore said.

They say speed was a factor in the accident and that Kirby was wearing his seatbelt. He wrecked about a mile from home, returning from his friend Jesse's Bowling house.

"I was just so thankful that we were all together and that his last moments on earth were good moments," Bowling said.

Bowling remembers Kirby as a fierce competitor on Altavista High School's cross country team.

"He lives on through us. There's no way we could ever forget him.”

Kirby's girlfriend, Jasmine Lovelace certainly won't.

“He would call me every morning and tell me he loved me. And he always made me laugh when I felt bad. He was my best friend," Lovelace said.

Lending an ear to anyone with a problem.

"He was one of the sweetest guys you'll ever meet. He was a good friend," Devin’s friend Paige Moorefield said.

Well-wishes from those who knew him best are written on a poster in New Prospect Baptist Church, where Kirby was a faithful member of the youth ministry.

Pastor Brady Willis at New Prospect Baptist Church said, "He really did seek to know what it means to live the life of faith. Not just to believe, but to live the life of faith."

Kirby is present in every tear and hug, which a mother wishes she could have from her son one more time.

"Wrap your arms around them and tell them you love them. Because they are your life," Moore said.

Kirby's church is planning a celebration of life ceremony for Tuesday.

Youth in the community are invited to New Prospect Baptist Church in Hurt from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. His funeral service will also be at New Prospect. It's scheduled for Thursday at 2:00 p.m.

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