The young victims of an Alberta highway murder and suicide were honoured Saturday in moving tributes from their friends, relatives and fellow athletes.

Tabitha Stepple, Mitch MacLean and Tanner Craswell were shot to death last December by Stepple's ex-boyfriend, who then turned the gun on himself.

"Tanner's life was filled with great purpose," friend Les McTavish told mourners who gathered in Lethbridge. Within months of Craswell's arrival in Alberta, the PEI native had a crew of admiring friends, McTavish said.

Shayna Conway, the only shooting victim to survive the ordeal, was in attendance and listened quietly to the service. Her father assisted her into the ENMAX Centre after she travelled there from a Calgary hospital where she has been recovering from the shooting.

In a recorded video message, she thanked those at the service for celebrating the lives of her friends. She says she looks forward to returning home soon.

The service was structured like a baseball game, with tributes to the victims during each of the nine "innings."

Both MacLean, 20, and Craswell, 22, were baseball players from Prince Edward Island who had moved to Alberta to play baseball for Lethbridge College.

More than 1,500 mourners remembered the young friends in touching videos, songs and stories from their short lives.

Coach Ryan MacDonald described Craswell, whom he called Crazzy, as a talented, intelligent athlete with a huge work ethic. MacDonald said he watched MacLean mature from a shy, quiet teenager to a mature, young man.

"We will forever miss the infectious smiles of Tanner and Mitch," MacDonald said.

"Rest in peace boys. Keep swinging."

Fellow player Tyson Ford said Craswell and MacLean loved simple pleasures. A good story, a beer, and a pretty face, made them happy, he said. Their Lethbridge Bulls jerseys were retired by the team, as Tina Turner's "Simply the Best" played.

Craswell's father, Keith told the memorial, "I just want you to know that one of the qualities that my son had was his ability to appreciate things.

"I do know this for a fact he appreciated everything."

Friends of Stepple, 21, remembered a vivacious young woman with big plans for the future. Her father Randy Stepple said his daughter even pre-named the children she longed to have one day.

"She had such a huge personality, way too big to sum up in two minutes," said best friend Cait McFarland.

Wristbands with Craswell and MacLean's initials were sold, with the proceeds going to a scholarship for baseball players.

At the time of the shooting, Stepple and Conway had been driving the young men to the airport to catch a flight home to P.E.I. for the holidays.

Local RCMP said Derek Jensen, who had bumped into the group earlier in the night, rammed his car into theirs on the dark highway. The damaged car came to a stop and Jensen opened fire.

Police have referred to the incident as having a "domestic violence, jilted-boyfriend motive."