Summer-Lynn Mau lived large: big smile, plenty of friends, lots of aloha.

Yesterday, hundreds of people touched by Mau's love and laughter turned out in La'ie to bid farewell to the 19-year-old woman who seemed to know and care for everyone.

"She was a big girl with an even bigger heart," her sister Amber said.

Mau died last month doing what she did best: bringing a little comfort and light into the lives of others.

On the night of Aug. 19, she stopped by the site of a deadly traffic accident in Hau'ula to pay respects to two friends killed early that morning. While she was comforting others, a car swept off the road and struck the mourners in almost the same spot as the first accident. Mau and Benson Kauvaka, 16, died in that crash.

Yesterday, it was the turn of family members and friends to offer their own comfort to one another by remembering the young woman who was always ready to help out with a smile whenever it was needed.

One after another, they painted a portrait of a young woman who could light up a room at home, school and work. Whether it was working a crowd at a Kahuku football game, greeting people at work, talking on her cell phone or e-mailing through her MySpace.com site, Mau was always reaching out to others, they said.

"She knew everyone and everyone knew her. She was a social butterfly who loved to converse with all the workers and guests," recalled Juanita Unga, who worked with Mau at the Polynesian Cultural Center's Ambassador Restaurant in La'ie.

"Even when things were most hectic, she found a way to say hello to everyone. You'd see her smiling so bright that no matter how bad you felt, you couldn't help but feel better."

A big girl from a young age, Mau never took advantage of her size to push people around, said "Marvelous" Perez, her aunt.

"She spent the last day of her life helping me pack up things for a move, and before she left she filled up a bottle of water for me in the freezer to take on the drive that evening," Perez said. "That was Summer: always looking out for me with a great big heart and big pride in her family."

Wendy Anae, one of Mau's teachers at Kahuku Intermediate and High School, said that although she died young, there was only one word to sum her up: "Unforgettable."

Mau was an enthusiastic Red Raider supporter who left behind a lot of lessons, including the joy of having an outgoing spirit and being quick to forgive and quick to love, Anae said. "There was nothing shy about her," Anae said. "She was a joy to have in class."

William Navalta, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' La'ie North Stake, said the deaths of Mau and the other young people had hit the nearby communities hard, but the hundreds of people coming together to celebrate Mau's eternally upbeat spirit was symbolic of something more important.

"This is what life is all about," he said. "There is a connection between this life and the next."

Reach Mike Leidemann at mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.