A gentle giant was mourned Tuesday morning, as hundreds of Elon University students, faculty and staff gathered to celebrate the life of Ed Watkins, a seven-year Physical Plant employee who died April 18 in a Caswell County boating accident.

A larger-than-life figure, Watkins was known for working after-hours when someone asked for help, with an ever-present face-splitting grin. The natural handyman was an outdoors enthusiast, fond of passing the time talking about hunting and fishing expeditions while he worked as a Physical Plant mechanic.

Hundreds of his co-workers filled the Numen Lumen pavilion with  maroon polo shirts, and tears flowed by some freely as Watkins' mother, Margie Watkins, a program assistant in Greek Life, thanked the crowd for the support given to her family in such a trying time.

"I found here at Elon that this university operates, feels, cries and shares as a family," Margie Watkins said. "It's OK to cry. I need to cry for him. If you see me crying, come comfort me, and I'll comfort you. We'll get through this together."

James Moore, a groundskeeper who was fishing with Ed Watkins when he died in the boating accident on Farmer's Lake, said his passing is a reminder of the fragility of life and of the power of forgiveness.

"You can't live in the past," Moore said. "What's done is done, and you can't change it. But the future's up to you. Life's too short to let silliness come in the way of a good friendship, of a good relationship. He was here this time last week, but you never know about this time tomorrow. Now he's gone."

Ed Watkins wouldn't have wanted tears shed for him, according to his older brother, Brice Watkins Jr, who said his younger brother would always smile and deliver his trademark phrase in any situation, "It'll be alright."

"Ed would say, 'Don't cry for me,'" Brice Watkins Jr. said. "'Just remember me as I was in your heart and know that I'm going to be alright.' We're all going to be alright."

SGA Executive President Joe Incorvia said the students in attendance were a testament to the strength of the "Elon family."

"What's really important here is that the students realize that our community is more than the student body," Incorvia said."It goes a long way to say that we all have been able to provide this level of support to the Watkins family after this tragedy. We're all here for each other."

Inside the Elon automotive shop and out, Ed Watkins never broke a sweat, never yelled or fussed or found a repair he couldn't handle, said Ray Pruitt, shop foreman for the Physical Plant.

"He was an easygoing person, a gentle person, a person who lived life to the fullest," Pruitt said. "He loved to work, and if someone asked for his help, Ed would be there, no matter what time of day, if he was on the clock or not. He loved everyone, and we loved him. We'll all miss Ed"