A funeral service was held for an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper who was killed in a crash on Route 11 in Canfield last week.

The funeral service for trooper Nicholas Cayton was held at the Beeghly Center at Youngstown State University Wednesday afternoon. Friends, family and Ohio officials gathered to celebrate Cayton's life.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine attended the funeral and discussed Cayton's service in the Ohio National Guard, as well as OSHP, his dedication to his wife and children, his sense of humor and his skills on the bagpipes.

DeWine discussed several accounts of Cayton given by many people in his life.

"[Cayton] could make any situation lighter through his humor. Even in the most difficult circumstances and situations, he not only maintained a positive outlook, but he could also make people laugh," DeWine said.

"The sun rose and set on his children. He would never miss one of their games or activities. If their activities conflicted with something else, his standard response always was, 'I can't come. I have two kids,'" DeWine said.

OSHP Colonel Charles Jones discussed Cayton's career with the Patrol, starting in 2012 at the Lisbon post before transferring to the Canfield Post in 2015.

"Over the years, he consistently demonstrated professionalism and dedication to duty. In 2022, he was honored as Post Trooper of the Year, and in 2024 he earned the designation of Master Trooper," Col. Jones said

One of Cayton's childhood friends Brent Tharp talked about how he knew Cayton since the 7th grade and how he had the privilege of watching him grow from a boy into a man.

"Nick simply loved life and everything that life had to offer, and he was genuinely talented at everything he touched," Tharp said.

Tharp said in addition to football, basketball and baseball, Cayton also had talents on various musical instruments like the guitar, violin and bagpipes, as well as skateboarding, rollerblading, ice skating, snowboarding and water skiing.

"It was because of these activities that Nick accumulated numerous friends from all walks of life," Tharp said.

Cayton was killed in a crash on Route 11 in Canfield while helping a semi truck driver whose vehicle was disabled. He was sitting in his cruiser when a truck rammed into the back of the cruiser causing it to move forward and strike the disabled semi and its driver.

Cayton was pronounced dead at the scene.

You can watch the full funeral in the video player below.