'Hasn't Totally Sunk In,' Pembroke Mourns Best Friends Killed In Car Crash

PEMBROKE (CBS) - Rows of light across the Pembroke town green; luminaries printed with loving messages for two shining stars who will be missed forever. "We'll remember them by the light they brought to every room they walked in," said friend Mike Fahie Jr.

Twenty-three-year-olds Billy Hickey and Joey Birolini were killed in a car crash early Saturday morning.

"I can't make sense of it. It really hasn't totally sunk in. These boys were like my sons," said Mike Fahie Sr.

"We've known each other since we were probably five years old. They were natural born leaders. Billy was super goofy and taught us not to take life too seriously. Joey was one of the smartest guys I've ever met," Fahie Jr. said.

Thursday evening, a PACTV televised tribute offered a socially distant opportunity to remember the young men, whose adult lives were really just beginning. The two were former co-captains of their high school hockey team. Those with whom they grew up and skated, shared the lasting impact these men had on their lives.

Both men's lives will be celebrated with a joint funeral. Local hockey players plan to line the streets ahead of that live-streamed service Saturday.