Stories of a courageous little boy with a big heart and an even bigger smile have been shared at the funeral of toddler Chace Topperwien in Whakatane.
The colour yellow, representing sunshine and laughter, was a feature among the hundreds who gathered to farewell the 3-year-old who had been battling leukemia for the past 15 months.
The youngster's coffin, printed with pictures of the eastern Bay of Plenty, took centre stage at Whakatane's Liberty Centre and was surrounded by family and all of Chace's favourite toys.
Chace's parents Keri and Ryan sat beside their son's coffin as the letters they had written to their special boy were read by family and memories of an adventurous young boy ,who crammed a lifetime into three short years, were shared.
As photos of Chace were projected on to a big screen, the lights were dimmed and hundreds of glow sticks were held up while the youngster's favourite songs were played.
