MANCHESTER — Death couldn't extinguish Sam Carey's passion for life.

The gregarious 6-foot-6 tattooed teddy bear of a man touched the hearts of many folks in his 26 years on earth. Moved by Carey's fervor for living in the moment, enthusiasm for relationships and infatuation with playing hoops, an estimated 1,600 attended his wake following his fatal Nov. 15 car accident. About 1,000 attended his memorial service.

Saturday evening 1,081 filed into the Southern New Hampshire Fieldhouse to pay respect one last time, at a doubleheader basketball game between Queen City rivals Central and Memorial, where Carey's No. 52 Little Green jersey was retired.

Both games were thrillers. Memorial swept. The girls claimed a last-second thriller, 37-35 while the boys went ahead early, stifled repeated Central comeback bids and won, 45-36.

Carey scored over 1,000 points before graduating from Central in 2004 and becoming a 1,000-point scorer at SNHU.

Fans dropped cash into a bucket for Carey's family while paying the admission fee. All ticket proceeds and donations went to benefit the Kayte Kenyon/Braydon Carey Trust fund, supporting his fiancée and young son.

At halftime of the boys' game Carey's jersey, encased in a large frame, was retired. Spectators offered a prolonged standing ovation when Carey's parents, Owen and Esther Carey, along with Kenyon and infant Braydon stepped on the court to receive warm embraces from the school's administrative staff, Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas and Central coach David “Doc” Wheeler.