A year ago Sunday, Jordan Selkirk was unexpectedly taken.

The 21-year-old was the front seat passenger in a car that was nearly split in half from the impact of a crash allegedly caused by a drunk driver, and one year after the tragedy parents Lee and Linda gathered with friends and family to remember a young man taken far too soon.

"People say time heals all wounds," Lee Selkirk shaking his said. "No."

Adding to the sombre service was the fact that the tearful service to remember his life was held at the same church as Jordan's funeral. The memorial was put together on short notice but there were still more than 60 people in attendance.

"He gave me some of the best advice anybody's ever given me," said friend Amanda Banks. "He was just a happy guy, all the time."

"He was the captain of our group," added friend Andrew Scott, wearing a customized Toronto Maple Leafs jersey to honour Jordan. "He was it. He held us together."

Jordan's parents say their son always made sure his friends had a designated driver when they went out, a fact which makes the loss all the more cruelly ironic and tragic.

"When we lost Jordan we didn't just lose Jordan, which was a huge loss, but we lost the community of his friends," Linda Selkirk said.

The driver of the car, Samneek Sidhu, was charged with impaired driving causing death and will be back in court in Brampton on January 17.