This story was corrected on Friday, Aug. 14. An expalantion follows the story.

Friends and family of the 16-year-old girl who was hit by a sport utility vehicle while crossing the road earlier this month said Thursday night that only person who would have been surprised at the outpouring of community support following her death was Codi Alexander.

Alexander of Country Woods Court in Gaithersburg was hit by a Honda CR-V shortly before 3 p.m. Aug. 5 while crossing an entrance ramp to Sam Eig Highway at its intersection with Great Seneca Highway in Gaithersburg, according to police. She was taken to Suburban Hospital in Bethesda in critical condition and died Monday.

Alexander was in a crosswalk and wearing a helmet, police said. The driver remained at the scene and the collision is under investigation.

About 200 people attended a memorial vigil Thursday night at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville and spent more than three hours sharing their memories of the girl they described as warm, energetic, loyal, vibrant, humble, upbeat and always willing to lend a hand or an ear.

Alexander would have been a junior at Richard Montgomery this school year.

"Codi loved this school, Codi loved being here with all of you," said her father, Bruce Alexander. "…Thank you for your outpouring of tears and support. You have been a comfort."

A Facebook.com tribute group to Alexander had more than 1,100 members as of Friday afternoon.

"The world will never know what you could have been and the world will never know what you could have done. The world will never know what it's missing out on, but I will," Samantha Levinson, 16, of Rockville said. "…I've seen people that I didn't even know you knew, let alone talked to, beside me tonight, and it shows what a good person you were."

Alexander was active in her church, Saint Rose of Lima in Gaithersburg, and was recently elected to its governing council, said Youth Ministry Coordinator Meg Russell, adding that the adults looked at her almost as an elder because of her maturity.

"I wasn't a best friend of hers but I was a stranger that she touched. You can always tell a good person, even if you don't know them, and she was good people," Opeyemi Awe, 16, of Rockville said. "She was always a really great Christian, there was never any doubt. As someone who's struggled with their faith, it was always a blessing to see her strength."

Friends and family recounted their favorite stories, like the time she dissected a watermelon and made ice cubes from the juice because she was bored; forming a band called The Nuns on a lark after attending a Jonas Brothers concert; playing peacemaker whenever there was a fight on or off the soccer field; staying up late with friends eating oranges and Nutella and laughing until their stomachs hurt; playing pranks on her younger sister; and organizing a church fashion show featuring only modest clothes.

"You're the best friend I could ever ask for, and I hope I was as good to you as you were to me," Alicia Salvino, 16, of Rockville said. "You were one of the few people who are beautiful on the inside and out. It's not that there's a hole in my heart now, it's just that you still have a part and it's the only part that's not hurting now."

Memorial donations can be sent to the Codi Alexander Pro-Life Leadership Fund care of the Susan B. Anthony List Project, 1800 N. Kent St., Suite 1070, Arlington, VA 22209. Make checks payable to the Codi Alexander Pro-Life Leadership Fund.

Correction: Codi Alexander would have been a junior at Richard Montgomery High School this year.