Nathan Andrew Waggoner couldnÂt stand to sit still.

Presented with the opportunity to watch television or play a video game, Nathan would rather throw a kayak on top of his car and head to the lake, drop a fishing line in the Missouri River or spend time with his friends.

When the 17-year-old died Friday, the world lost a young man who truly loved living.

"He dealt with the cancer, but he just enjoyed his life," his mother, Monica Waggoner, said.

Nathan, an Elkhorn High student, battled a brain tumor since May 2008. His cancer took him to Los Angeles and Chicago for treatments and to Hawaii for fun with other kids fighting illnesses. Through it all, he stayed positive, his mother said.

NathanÂs Facebook page, with more than 1,000 friends, is a testament to his magnetic nature. This weekend, friends gathered for a candlelight vigil in his honor. They told his family the things they prized most about Nathan.

Again and again his mother heard about his infectious smile and his friendly, outgoing manner, even in the face of truly difficult matters.

That was the Nathan she knew, Monica Waggoner said.

Nathan loved the outdoors, but he also loved to wrestle. In his freshman year, before he was diagnosed with cancer, he competed again and again, never giving up, never getting pinned.

"He was just a strong fighter and battled every single thing that he went up against," said Monica Waggoner.

Nathan was a fighter, but that wonÂt be foremost in the minds of his friends and family when they think of him. His mother will remember a boy searching out snakes and fish at the family cabin on the Missouri River. His friends might think of a wrestler, a snowboarder or a wakeboarder. In the end, it came down to the smile on his face. With a sunny day and some clear blue sky, it didnÂt matter what he was doing. He was happy just to run free.

Nathan is survived by his mother, father Jeff and brother Nicholas, 20.