ACTON — He was a friend, a son, a nephew and a valued community member. Aric “A.J.” Davis loved to hunt. He loved the outdoors. He loved the community where he was raised.

Members of his community — folks in Acton, where he went to elementary school — and in nearby Sanford, where he attended high school — loved him back.

A.J. Davis died Tuesday night in Acton, of injuries sustained when his dirt bike collided with a Jeep on Route 109. He was 16 years old.

Folks in Acton who knew him and his family organized a vigil, held in Friendship Park on Thursday night. 

They gathered, 400 strong, to remember A.J.. They told stories of his hunting exploits, of how much they loved him, and of their loss.

There was laughter and turkey calls and tears, and candles lit the darkness. Some wore camouflage clothing, in solidarity with A.J.’s love of hunting.

“He was a brother to me,” said friend Tyler Fenderson, who spoke of their hunting and fishing together. “It doesn’t feel real, that he’s actually gone. That kid, no matter what, always made me laugh. I cherish all the time we had together.”

“I’ll keep him in my mind and he’ll always be in my heart when I’m hunting,” said another friend.

A.J. was 10 years old when he got his first moose, recalled Nate Fenderson, Tyler’s father and a close family friend. He went on to bag a deer, a bear, and a turkey.

“I thank his dad for raising such an amazing guy,” said girlfriend Libby Hayden.

Rob Dobson, one of the organizers, said the event gave people an opportunity to speak and grieve and to be open and comfortable while doing so. A.J. grew up with his own kids, Dobson said. 

“He lived a beautiful, young, wild life,” said Dobson, speaking of A.J.’s love of the outdoors. He urged folks to honor the young man by introducing their own children the joys of outdoor pursuits.

William Langley, 16, was among those who attended the vigil. He and A.J. had been friends since kindergarten, and walked together at their graduation at Acton Elementary School.

“He was such a good kid,” said Samantha Roberts.

A young man played guitar and sang the Bob Dylan classic, “Knocking on Heaven’s Door.”

“Your coming out for this special event is so meaningful for the family,” organizer Terry Minihan told those assembled.

Rev. Dennis Reeves, Acton Fire Department’s chaplain, was at the crash scene the night A.J. died, and prayed with his family. 

He spoke to the gathering of his loss of a friend and the friend’s father in a boating mishap when he was a young man. Reeves said he struggled with his faith. Eventually, he told those gathered, he got to a place where he didn’t need answers.

“My prayer for all you is that you may get to that place, too,” Reeves said.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.