There, he had enjoyed swimming before he was killed in a June 3 traffic collision that broke a car in two and shattered the lives of the boy's mother, brother and other loved ones. Will's death has fueled public demands for a crackdown on reckless drivers and focused attention on the proper use of seat belts and child safety restraints.

Sunday morning's memorial service included a Hawaiian blessing aboard a catamaran, flowers dropped from a helicopter and the release of a dozen doves into the sky.

"He would have loved this," said Will's mother, Susan Moulton, a part-time Maui resident who returned to the Valley Isle last week after burying her son in her hometown of San Marcos, Texas.

Moulton has been flooded with telephone calls and expressions of sympathy from Mauians — many whom did not know Will or Moulton before the crash and the news coverage in its wake.

Housekeepers from Ka'anapali Ali'i, where Moulton owns a unit, took a break from work to come down to the beach fronting Whalers Village and watch as mourners rode out on a catamaran and took part in a short service.

"I really wanted to see this and pay my respects," said Rose Sijalbo, a housekeeping supervisor at Ka'anapali Ali'i. She said she's never met Moulton or Will, but after hearing of the crash, she was compelled to change her vacation plans and be present for Sunday's service.

"It's just really, really sad," Sijalbo said. "It's a tragedy really."

Attending Sunday's service was especially meaningful for Ken and Chelsea Baldwin. They moved from Oregon to Honokowai just four days before the crash and were driving to Kahului on June 3 to attend church with their children, ages 9 and 11.

The Baldwin family was about five cars behind Moulton and her son, and they were distracted with conversation and radio music and didn't see or hear the head-on, two-car collision, only realizing that a tragedy had occurred when they saw the wreckage of a car torn into two halves.

Ken Baldwin, a National Guard staff sergeant with training as a medic, pulled over and rushed to the crash scene to help. He stayed with Will until Maui medics arrived, trying unsuccessfully to open an airway for the boy and performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

"In effect, he died in my arms," he said.

Ken Baldwin was invited to paddle in one of the canoes escorting the catamaran during the memorial service, an experience that helped him cope with the strong emotions that have lingered since the crash.

"It helps you burn off the stress and energy that builds up in you," he said.

Chelsea Baldwin, a former federal police officer in Oregon, said she stayed with Moulton, who appeared to be going into shock, while waiting for an ambulance to arrive at the scene.

The Baldwins said the crash taught them the importance of having proper child restraints in a car. They have since purchased two high-back safety seats, each priced at about $70.

"This has drastically changed our lives. There's no more riding in the front seats for the kids and they always have to be buckled up correctly," Chelsea Baldwin said.

Will was riding in the front passenger seat with his safety belt buckled at the time of the collision on Honoapi'ilani Highway near Ukumehame Wayside Park. A Mazda driven by a 23-year-old Lahaina woman went out of control and slammed sideways into the vehicle driven in the opposite direction by Moulton. Criminal charges have not been filed against the Lahaina woman, who is suspected of speeding and reckless driving.

An autopsy conducted by Dr. Anthony Manoukian, Maui County's coroner's physician, found that Will had sustained internal bleeding from ligaments supporting his liver and a ruptured spleen. Last month, the doctor said the vehicle's seat belt was "not a good fit" for the boy who stood a little more than 4 feet tall and weighed about 60 pounds.

A child wearing a seat belt designed for an adult has the safety straps riding up dangerously high over the stomach and across the neck, instead of low over the hips and across the shoulder.

Because he was 8 years old, Will was in compliance with Hawaii law requiring children 7 and younger to be in a booster seat. But child safety experts recommend that children under 4 feet 9 inches remain in booster seats, even if they are older than 7.

Moulton has said that she hopes Will's death will bring public attention to the best use of seat belts and booster seats to safeguard children while riding in cars and deter speeding and aggressive driving.

Mary Lou Mellinger, an acquaintance of Moulton who attended Sunday's event, said the crash has affected her and her attitude toward driving.

"It's made me drive more cautiously ... I really try to pay more attention now," Mellinger said.

Moulton has established a charitable foundation in honor of her son, with proceeds to help with either developing a trauma center on Maui or supporting the enforcement of reckless driving and speeding on local roadways.

Donations to the foundation can be sent to Emerald Club Realty Inc., 2145 Wells St., Suite 102B, Wailuku 96793.

On Sunday, some of Moulton's Maui friends wore blue T-shirts with the words "Live Love Laugh, Will Smith Charitable Foundation" as a sign of support.

"Live, love, laugh — that was Will. That was him," Moulton said.

Moulton was accompanied Sunday by her boyfriend, Charles Weston, and longtime friend Denise Pfeiffer of San Antonio. Aside from Moulton, Will is survived by an older brother, Charlie Moulton, and his father, Shorty Smith of Fowlerton, Texas. The two could not attend the Maui service.

Pfeiffer, who was traveling in Europe at the time of Will's death, missed his funeral in Texas, but came to Maui to support Moulton.

Pfeiffer photographed Will's birth and watched him grow up.

"He just loved everything outdoors," she said. "He adored his mom and his dad, and he talked about hunting like he was 20 years old. He was a joy to know."

A group of firefighters from the Lahaina station came together to show support as they watched the memorial from shore. Firefighter Beau Gaddis knew Will since his wife's family had sold property to Moulton and had become friends.

"He was always smiling," Gaddis recalled. "He was full of energy, and he had a huge smile on his face."

Will's passion included hunting in Texas or during safaris in South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe. He loved baseball, and one of his favorite activities on Maui was swimming in the ocean.

As part of Sunday's ceremony, Moulton bought two items at one of Will's favorite stores — Endangered Species — to toss into the ocean to say goodbye to her son. One item was a rock with a butterfly engraved on it and words about life being a miracle. The other was a small jar with a "W" on it. The jar contained loving words about the boy.

Moulton put a small note to her son in the jar.

"I told him I loved him, and I was so proud of him, just so proud," she said.

Claudine San Nicolas can be reached at claudine@mauinews.com.