Muffled sobs resounded off the walls of Marsh Chapel last night as Boston University students, alumni and faculty gathered to remember Marek Madej, a 2006 School of Management graduate, who was killed in a car accident in Warsaw, Poland on Nov. 10. He was 21.

Madej was returning home from a social gathering when dangerous snow conditions caused his vehicle to lose control and collide with a tree. He was killed on impact, close friend Michael Pressman said. Madej is survived by his parents and two younger siblings. His family is currently in Poland and could not attend the memorial.

Many of the more than 80 attendees lined up to sign a guest book in Madej’s memory. Pressman, a 2006 College of Arts and Sciences graduate, began the memorial service by addressing the “tragic loss” for Madej’s friends and family.

“At the young age of 21, the same age many of us in this room share with him, Marek had very much ahead of him,” he said. “That smile we all know well, the one Marek had permanently on his face, is the one we will miss very much.”

Madej, who graduated from BU in three years, had returned to his Warsaw home in May. He had started a film distribution company and was enrolled full-time in a Master’s studies program at a local university, studying international relations and English.

Friends said Madej highly valued family and often spent time with his cousin, Natalia Peczkowska, a sophomore at the University of Southern California.

Throughout the service, friends approached the podium to recount the many ways Madej had affected their lives.

“He made everyone in his life happy,” SMG senior Melissa Eng said during the service. “It was truly a privilege to be his friend.”

Arati Sureddi, who recalled an instance when Madej took care of her when she was sick, said he loved spending time with those he cared about.

“He was ridiculously sweet,” the SMG senior said as she began crying. “He will always be loved and remembered.”

College of Engineering sophomore Chris Ogorzalek read a short poem he wrote about Madej, asking those gathered in the end to spend more time with friends, something Madej would always say, because “you never know when they’re gone.”

SMG senior Kalina Bogdan read a Polish translation of Psalm 23 and said Madej’s close friends found it “appropriate” to speak in his native language. She also noted how some of Madej’s former professors attended the memorial.

Pressman and Bogdan said they prepared the memorial quickly so it would occur before Madej’s funeral Friday in Warsaw. Both said Madej was family-oriented, and during his time at BU, he “missed his home in Warsaw.”

Madej took advantage of what each day had to offer him, Pressman, who lived with Madej for two years, said.

“Marek and I used to wake up at 5 in the morning to get our studies done so we could head out to ski for the rest of the day,” he said. “We had found a way to balance our life.

“He leaves a group of people that will miss him very much,” he continued. “That will hurt for a very long time.”

Associate Dean of Students Jack Weldon, who attended the memorial, said the university provides counseling services for students, including chaplains, student health counselors and Office of Residence Life Resident Assistants.

“When there’s a death, oftentimes folks want to talk,” he said. “It was clear [Madej] touched a lot of people.”

A funeral service will take place in Warsaw on Nov. 17. Pressman said those who wish to send letters and donations in Madej’s memory can send them to Pressman, who will forward them to Madej’s family.

“As everyone came here today with sorrow, I hope that we may have this time to pray for our friend to remember the life [Madej] lived and to leave here today with a smile on our face,” Pressman said when closing the service.

“Marek used to say to me, ‘Red lights are for right turns,'” he continued. “He took that saying seriously and lived by it on a daily basis, never allowing an obstacle to hold up the joy of his life.”