ST. CLOUD, Minn. — On Saturday, the St. Cloud community said their goodbyes to Charlie Boike, a 17-year-old who died in a crash last Saturday.
“He always, always had that signature smile one his face,” said Pete Matanich, who coached Charlie on the St. Cloud Crush hockey team.
His team, friends and family gathered inside the Tech High School gym in St. Cloud to relive memories. Hundreds listened as loved ones spoke of Charlie's kindness and love for hockey.
“Charlie was such a caring, giving kid,” said his mother, Erika Boike. “And God picked me to be his mom and God picked my family to be his family and now it's his turn to be in heaven and do good for others."
The team also retired his beloved jersey number of 17.
“We're gonna go celebrate and continue to celebrate him every day for the rest of our lives until we get to see him again,” said his mother.
At the end of the celebration, his teammates raised their hockey sticks as Charlie’s casket left the gym. On Wednesday, the Minnesota Wild honored Charlie by leaving their sticks outside their locker room before their game.
A GoFundMe for the family has already raised more than $50,000 as of Saturday night. The family plans to use the money to create a scholarship fund in Charlie's honor.
Family said the teen, who will forever be 17, will forever be remembered for who he was on and off the ice.
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