He encouraged debate and dialogue. Nobody knew scripture better than him — and because of it, he was a threat.

Those are just a few of the words spoken about Charlie Kirk during Sunday afternoon’s vigil at Knudson Park in Marseilles, where more than 130 people attended to show their support and grieve the loss of Kirk.

“Charlie always debated and had a dialogue,” state Sen. Sue Rezin, Morris-R, said. “He was about talking, having very tough conversations, especially on our college campuses, to engage students, engage the next generation.”

Kirk, a 31-year-old right-wing activist, was shot and killed on Wednesday, Sept. 10, while speaking at Utah Valley University at an open event held by Turning Point USA, an organization he co-founded with Bill Montgomery.

Kirk was from Arlington Heights and Turning Point was originally headquartered in Lemont.

The vigil opened with a prayer by Marseilles Commissioner Mike Scheib and attendees singing “Amazing Grace.”

Event Organizer Cindy Pullara thanked those in attendance and said losing Kirk has shaken her in ways she never expected.

“It has reopened an ache I know too well,” she said. “I lost my son at a young age and this pain has struck me with a similar weight. It’s a sorrow that feels too big for words, too deep for understanding.”

Several community members spoke about the impact Kirk’s life had on them, from his strong Christian beliefs, to his ability to reach across the aisle, to engaging future generations.

Andrew Moore, a resident who moved to the U.S. from New Zealand in 2011, spoke about Sophie Scholl, a German anti-Nazi activist, a part of the White Rose non-violent resistance group, who had been executed at 21 for her political beliefs.

“The real damage is done by those millions who just want to survive,” Moore read from one of Scholl’s handouts. “The honest men who want to be left in peace, those who don’t want their little lives disturbed. … The boogeyman will not bind you. But, it’s all an illusion because they die too.”

“Charlie Kirk was the best of us,” Moore said. “He was the epitome of everything that is good about America. He represented goodness, beauty and truth...the ideology that murdered Charlie is an ideology that hates America and hates people.”

The vigil closed with attendees singing “Soon and Very Soon.”