At 5:30 p.m. Friday, the line stretched down the hallway outside the Chelsea Rose Ballroom at Holiday Inn to the front lobby area, moving slowly, each person stopping to sign the guest book and give a greeting to the wife, children and other family members of longtime city Recreation Director Luis DePina.

Nearly two hours later, the line stretched down the hallway and back to the front lobby area. And the Chelsea Rose Ballroom was crammed with people milling about, seeing old friends, former co-workers, old classmates or teammates.

DePina retired in July after 25 years as city recreation director. Before that, he was director at the Norwich YMCA. Before that, a star athlete at Norwich Free Academy.

Last Friday, DePina died of a brain stem tumor.

A short program was planned for the family to thank the 400 or more people who came to this “Celebration of Lou’s Life,” but really, as sister-in-law Cathrine Goldstein put it: “This is Lou.” The family just wanted a gathering of family, friends, co-workers and anyone else touched by Lou’s life.

“This is a celebration, not a passing,” cousin Preston Toliver said of New London said. “Keep the memory going. He was a special person.”

Norwich Police Chief Louis Fusaro worked with DePina during his entire career in Norwich. “I never worked with anyone who was more of a gentleman, more dedicated than Lou.”

A slide show of photographs of DePina with his own children and with a few of the thousands of kids in city recreation programs played on a large screen. On a table in the front corner, awards and citations sat in front of two huge framed photos. Three of the citations were for perfect work attendance from the city of Norwich.

One photo showed a young-adult DePina wearing a Norwich YMCA shirt rappelling down a cliff or something not shown. The picture of a true athlete. The other showed a gentle, older DePina getting ready to pitch a baseball, perhaps to a young child not pictured.

“Overwhelmed and thankful,” Lynn DePina said of the turnout and well wishes expressed by everyone who went through the line.

The family has established the Luis DePina Memorial Scholarship Fund through the NFA Foundation in his memory. Tax deductable donation checks should be made out to the NFA Foundation, with the notation for the “Luis DePina Memorial Scholarship Fund” and mailed to NFA Foundation, 321 Broadway, Norwich, CT 06360.

And because Lou loved the outdoors and nature, it was the DePina family who gave the flowers at this memorial gathering. Everyone in attendance received a packet of red poppy seeds to plant next spring.