The South Green Lawn in Middletown overflowed Friday night both with love for state Rep. Quentin “Q” Williams, and with people eager to continue his work and his legacy, which had touched so many.

Williams was killed in a wrong-way crash early Thursday after leaving the governor’s inaugural ball, leaving many across the state shocked and saddened at the tragic loss.

Friends and colleagues spoke during a candlelight vigil, sharing their love for Williams, their greatest memories with him, and pledged to continue to support his mother, Queen, and wife, Carrissa Williams.

State Sen. Matt Lesser, hosting the event, said that Williams had a superpower to make everyone around him happy, more than any person he has met, yet was also serious and committed to justice for the people all around him.

“He ... was the first Black representative from the city. And he knew that was a special responsibility and a special role. He cared about all communities, but he knew that was his particular weight that he wore. And that commitment to racial justice was something that he cared deeply about,” he said.

Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz called Williams a “bright light” from the beginning of his life to the present and shared that she admired how he believed in the power of uplifting women.

“He knew that if you uplift women, you uplift families, you will uplift the community, you will uplift the state,” she said. “And he got that from his extraordinary mom, Queen Williams, who worked hard, sacrificed as a single mom and made him the amazing man that he became.”

She also said that she admired the understanding Williams had of his position as a role model for young people.

“He got it, especially when he visited schools. When he was visiting Middletown High School, he was walking two feet above the ground, because he wanted all the students to see what they could be. If they thought it, they could be it, just like him. He was always about inspiring that next generation of leaders.”

Lastly, she asked the crowd to honor Williams’ legacy by helping women to become leaders, especially women of color, challenging leaders to understand their own position as a role model and using their power to mentor as Williams did.

Sacha Armstrong Crockett, is one of the women he encouraged.

“After each of those difficult conversations he would ask me about ‘do you know how to play this game? I’m going over here to play this board game, you should know it,’ ” she said. “When I felt like the work was too much, he gave me the number of other therapists. What I understood from him was none of that was sustainable without rest.”

House Speaker Matt Ritter said that Williams’ impact as a legislator was clear, since many Capitol staff were in attendance.

“The whole Capitol [is] here … [including] Capitol police staff. And it’s not just Democrats. It’s not just House members and senators. It’s Republicans from as far as New Canaan, Democrats from as far as Norwich, and everywhere in between … he was such a fascinating, interesting young man. What we’re all going to do in the next two weeks will be really hard, because we have to grieve, and we have to help his family. But we have to do more than just the next 10 days. There’s a legacy that we have to build to leave for him,” he said.

Middletown Mayor Ben Florsheim said that while the city had lost its “biggest, brightest smile,” it did not lose his spirit.

“We did not lose Q’s spirit. We did not lose Q’s vibe. We did not lose Q’s joy. And as long as we have lives to live, those of us in Middletown, those of us in Connecticut, until the moment that we don’t … we have work to do. And we have justice to serve. And we have the legacy of an exceptional person,” he said.

“So, let’s be as sad today as we need to be. Let’s mourn for as long as we need to mourn,” Florsheim said. “We know thanks to Q, thanks to the life that he led, thanks for the example that he set, thanks to his wife, his mother, and his family who survived him, that living with sadness and living with loss doesn’t mean we can’t still do that work with a smile.”

As a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Williams’ line brother, Matthew Rivera, remembers how serious Williams was about making sure that the group came together to pray each week in the mornings and his dedication to brotherhood.

“There were moments when Q and I would be on that prayer call. It would just be us, and there was just something about Q that no matter how early it was … he was still joking around, laughing, and just continuing to make sure that we started off our day giving thanks and giving praise to God,” he said.

When I think about the principles of Alpha, that is what we stand for. But even beyond that, that is what Q’s life and legacy exuded. He made us all feel like we could do exceedingly abundantly above all we could ask or even think of.”

Cross Street A.M.E. Zion’s the Rev. Robyn Anderson said that in listening to all the speakers, the idea of the work of the heart came to her mind.

“It truly makes a difference what’s in your heart. And you could see that Quentin “Q” gave his life to others. But everything he did, it was because of his heart. He had a heart to continue to love. He was an instrument of joy. He was an instrument of peace. He was an instrument of making sure that the quality of life of others would be made possible. He made sure that wherever he was, he made an impact,” she said.

“He was passionate and had a lot of compassion for so many. And it’s obvious because all of us are here today.”

The Rev. Moses Harvill, also of Cross Street A.M.E. Zion, Williams’ pastor, said the lawmaker, “was so loved. And he gave so much of himself. Selfless in service and serving people. Making a real difference in our community and beyond.”

“He was climbing higher and higher grounds, making a real difference. We grieve, but we grieve not as those who have no hope. We have the hope of Christ. And he had the hope of Christ,” Harvill said.

Lastly, Lesser shared that a website has been made for the public to share their memories of Williams. Lesser said he plans to collect the stories and publish the remembrances in a bound book that will be made available to the community.