More than 2,200 somber and saddened people were on hand to say good-bye to four young Pacific Union College students who died in a traffic crash last Saturday night.

A memorial service was held on Thursday morning at PUC church for Boaz Pak, 20, Luke Nishikawa, 22, Simon Son, 19, and Chong Shin, 20.

The men were killed instantly when the Honda Civic they were riding in, driven by Pak, skidded out of control on Deer Park Road at Sanitarium Road and slammed into an oncoming pickup driven by Sandanio Martinez, 28, of Angwin. Martinez suffered major injuries and is being treated at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

On Thursday, the college campus church was filled with fellow students, friends and families of the victims. The somber mood inside the church leaked outside to the foggy, damp morning. PUC, affiliated with the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, was founded in 1882. It has about 1,300 students.

Those attending the memorial were given yellow ribbons. A slide show was presented, showing numerous photos of the young men at school, the beach, playing sports and just hanging out and having fun.

The families of victims, except for the Shins, who were in Oregon preparing for their son’s funeral, attended and took their places in the front row.

Pastor Koji Nishikawa, father of Luke, spoke on behalf of the victims’ families.

Flanked on each side by his wife, Masumi Nishikawa, and daughter, Christal, also a PUC student, Koji Nishikawa told the many young students attending, “I understand how you feel anger, pain and sadness.”

He said, “Young people are not supposed to die before their parents. Please don’t die before your parents. You don’t know how much we love you. And you won’t know until you have children of your own.”

PUC President Richard Osborn told the crowd, “We are embracing the end of the saddest week in the college’s 126-year history. This year, we experienced four times the losses we have experienced before.”

However, Osborn also reminded those gathered that “it is not all sad memories. We are also here to celebrate the lives of four, young, incredible men.”

A close friend of each of the victims shared their memories of their departed friends.

Justin Kim said he first met Nishikawa in junior high school.

“We talked about everything,” he said. “He dreamed of being a history teacher. I asked him if want to be a professor. But he said he thought he related better to young, immature students.”

Kim also touched on his friend’s strength and love of music.

Alex Lee described his friend, Pak, as “compassionate, passionate and that he strove to be the best at whatever he did. I also admired him for dedication to his friends, family and church.”

Jeff Cho recalled how Chong was able to fit into any crowd but stay true to himself.

“He was always genuine and followed Jesus. That gives me hope that I will see my good friend again,” Cho said.

Esther Pak used one word to describe her best friend Simon Son — “amazing.”

“He loved basketball, ping pong and donuts. Simon, no one will ever replace you as my best friend,” Pak said breaking down in tears.

All of the young victims were deeply involved in their church and volunteer work.

Luke Nishikawa, a California native, along with his family moved to Hawaii in 2001. After graduating from Hawaiian Mission Academy in 2004, he returned to California and enrolled at PUC as an American history major.

He played guitar in the praise band at the school, led Bible studies on and off campus and was involved in youth ministries.

For his senior project, Nishikawa chose to focus on the Japanese internment during World War II.

Boaz Pak was born in Ohio, but his family now resides in Hidden Lake Valley.

Pak attended Redwood Adventist Academy in Northern California. After graduating, he attended PUC, majoring in biology pre-pharmacy. He was the Sabbath afternoon community outreach coordinator for the church’s youth group. Pak is survived by his parents, Chan and Won Pak, and sisters, Grace and Anna.

While in elementary school, Chong Shin moved to Oregon, where his family still lives.

He enrolled at PUC in 2006, majoring in business administration and pre-dentistry. Shin was a tutor at PUC’s teaching and learning center and also involved in the church youth ministries. He volunteered his time as an evening activity coordinator for youth.

Shin leaves behind his parents, Bong and Chong Shin and brother, Young.

Simon Son had lived his entire life in California, coming to PUC in 2006, to major in nursing.

He devoted his time to homeless ministries. The morning of the fatal accident, Son had worked with his group, feeding the homeless in the Bay Area.

He is survived by his parents, Heung Kwon and Soon Lim Son and sister Anna.

The night of accident, the four students had just finished a basketball game. Around 11:30 p.m., they all headed down the hill in the Honda Civic toward the Safeway store in St. Helena to get something to eat.

The fatal crash happened less than a mile from intersection of Deer Park and Silverado Trail. They were only minutes away from their destination.

A memorial has sprung up at the crash site with four white, wooden crosses, flowers, stuffed animals and other memorabilia.