More than 200 people packed inside a Mount Vernon funeral home Monday as 14-year-old David Guardado was laid to rest.

Friends and family say the teen touched many people in his short life and could often be found preaching to a congregation at his church.

?He would always say, ?We need to be closer to the Lord, we don't know when our last day is,?? Manuel Diaz, a friend of Guardado, says. ?We kiss our kids every day, he kissed his mother that day and sadly he didn't come back.?

Police say Guardado was hit by a pickup truck as he crossed the intersection at South Fulton Avenue and East 3rd Street. According to authorities, the incident occurred during rush hour at 6 p.m. Guardado was pronounced dead at Sound Shore Medical Center after suffering severe head trauma.

No charges have been filed against the driver who hit Guardado. Police believe the traffic light may have turned from red to green the moment Guardado began crossing.

Guardado?s classmates, teachers and friends say they will desperately miss the boy, who inspired them and helped them and reached out to those in need.

?He helped other children,? Murdisia Orr, the principal of A.B. Davis Middle School, says. ?He would try to inspire them, pull them in the right direction, see there was a different light amongst them.?