Tyrone Myers grew up in a poverty-stricken neighborhood in North Philadelphia. When his longtime friend, Shamir Garland, ran into him last year at Penn State, Garland said he was excited to finally see someone he recognized from home.

"I knew that Tyrone was one person who was going to go back to his community and help everyone have a brighter future," Garland said at his friend's memorial service yesterday.

Almost 200 people attended the service to honor the life of Myers, who was shot to death two weeks ago near his Philadelphia home.

Held in the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, friends of Myers danced, sang, recited poems, displayed picture slide shows and reminisced of memories, all in celebration of the 21-year-old's life, which was cut short.

"As I walk around campus, I still feel like I'm going to see him," childhood friend Patrick Wallace said. "He was the one person that could always make me feel good."

Jeremiah Yeomas said he and Myers were constantly pushing each other to excel since they met the first week of school.

"He was supposed to graduate with me," Yeomas said. "But he had so much heart that I know he would want everyone else to be strong and finish."

Markeda Young told a story of when she was too sick to go anywhere and Tyrone bought her medicine and offered to help out.

"Whatever he could do for you, he would do. ... Who will do that now?" she said. "They took him away, and they took a part of me away."

David Joseph, who was wearing a shirt with Myers' photograph on it and with the words, "Gone but never forgotten," said Myers was raised by women, and he constantly talked about his family.

"He protected his family," Joseph said. "He was the man of the house and his family is devastated without him."

It was announced yesterday at the ceremony that Myers will be receiving his degree because he was only two classes away from graduating.

Adrienne Carducci said she and Myers were neighbors and spent many weekends hanging out. She said she still comes home some days and expects him to be out on his balcony to greet her.

"It's a hard reality to know he'll never say 'hi' to me again off his balcony," she said.

She reminisced about the time when Myers was wearing sunglasses at night.

"When I asked him why, he said, 'Because I'm a star,' " she said. "Now he is up there among the stars."