Family and friends paid their final respects to American teenager Mark Dombroski on Saturday.

A funeral service for the 19-year-old was held at Archmere Academy, his former school in Delaware, nearly three weeks after his death in Bermuda.

Mr Dombroski was found in the dry moat at Fort Prospect, Devonshire, on March 19, a day and a half after he disappeared after a night out with friends in Hamilton.

His mother, Lisa Dombroski, told The News Journal before the service: “We always knew he was a special light in our family, but he was also a good kid to a lot of people, helping friends through tough times.

“I think his purpose in life was to bring joy to people. There’s a lot of sadness that we experience in life, and I think he really focused on the right things.

“His priorities were right. He wasn’t a straight-A student, but he took the time to help other people.”

Mr Dombroski’s brother, John Dombroski, told family, friends, team-mates and coaches at the service: “We always knew how special a kid he was, but it’s beautiful to hear about all the lives he impacted in such a positive way.

“So many different people came up to me and told me how they were shy or didn’t have many friends. Mark would always go out of his way to make them feel welcome and loved.

“Whether it was sitting and having lunch with them or being a shoulder to cry on, Mark was there.”

Mr Dombroski was last seen by friends at the Dog House bar on Hamilton’s Front Street just after midnight on March 17.

A forensic pathologist said that Mr Dombroski died from a fall and found no evidence of foul play.

The teenager was in Bermuda with a team from St Joseph’s University in Philadelphia to play in the Ariel Re Bermuda International Sevens tournament.

The News Journal reported that David Niu, Mr Dombroski’s rugby coach at Archmere, described him at the funeral service as a “slender streak of lighting” who led on the field and off.

He said: “He would challenge you to coach him. His cheeky grin after he went left when you told him to go right — he would charm you and then disarm you.”

Towards the end of his tribute, Mr Niu said Mr Dombroski’s favourite comic strip was Calvin & Hobbes by Bill Watterson.

He added: “It’s a cartoon series about a young boy, Calvin, and his adventures with his toy tiger Hobbes. On behalf of Mark, I think Hobbes has a message for us all: ‘I think we dream so we don’t have to be apart so long. If we’re in each other’s dreams, we can play together all night.’”

The family asked that contributions be made to the newly formed Mark Dombroski Foundation, which will focus on youth education, athletics and safety.