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More than $12,700 had been raised as of Sunday, May 8 on a GoFundMe campaign for Cyrenius "Cy" Menard, who died when he was ejected Friday's a crash with a tractor trailer in the southbound lanes in Saddle River.
"We know everyone is in shock and may not be able to physically be here to say goodbye or see him for the last time," writes campaign founders Soeurette Badio and Kesnel Menard. "We know he is smiling and laughing with everyone and he would say Thank you."
Cy, who played football for St. Joseph's Regional High School before the St. Thomas More School in Connecticut, recently announced he'd committed to for Sacred Heart University.
That Instagram post had nearly 1,500 comments — mainly condolences — and more than 3,600 likes as of Saturday, May 7.
Anthony Galella, one of Cy's youth football coaches with the Bergen County Stars, remembered him as brave.
When he was 10 years old, Cy was too big to play with his team at a national tournament. And so, he played with the 12-year-olds.
"Everyone was in awe of that — how he could handle playing with the bigger kids emotionally and physically," Galella said.
"He had one of those magnetic personalities, an amazing smile. Everybody who knew him loved him and considered him family — he was larger than life."
Cy's coaches at St. Thomas More School say he excelled both on and off the field.
The BC Stars penned a tribute to Cy, nothing that" the only thing bigger than his stature was his heart."
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