A vigil was held Thursday honoring the life of a Stratford pastor who was fatally struck by a car.

Leverne Murphy, 61, was struck by a car on May 23 while crossing Lordship Boulevard in Stratford and later died at the hospital, police say.

Friends and family gathered at the Faith Outreach Church in Bridgeport and lit candles while they paid tribute to Murphy.

"To lose my uncle in that way was very tragic, very traumatizing," says Xavier Long. "To see them pumping him, trying to resuscitate him, trying to bring him back to life, unidentifiable, it's just something I'll never be able to erase from my memory."

He's remembered as a popular and giving man, a member of Kingdom Impact Life Changing Outreach International Ministries in Stratford, and somebody who never forgot where he came from, and who would help any person in need, his family says.

Authorities say the driver who struck Murphy stayed at the scene and cooperated with police.

Murphy's family says they are accepting donations to help pay for funeral costs. 

Car fatally strikes pastor crossing street in Stratford