Katelisa Etienne’s smile was her gift to the world.

From the day she was born, Etienne’s smile “illuminated the room,’’ her uncle said.

As her family and friends gathered Saturday to bury the Milton High School senior, Etienne’s radiant expression was celebrated as her legacy.

“Smile,’’ Senior Pastor Chris Sumner told mourners at Jubilee Christian Church in Mattapan. “Let me see your teeth. Doesn’t that feel better?’’

The 18-year-old Etienne died March 9 after she was struck by a Jeep Wrangler around 3:30 p.m. while crossing Brush Hill Road in Milton near its intersection with Aberdeen Street.

Etienne was headed to an after-school ­program at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit in Mattapan to work up a list of children to invite to her high school graduation party when the crash occurred. She was just a block from her family’s ­Concord Avenue home.

Warren Hoppie, an off-duty Boston police sergeant, was behind the wheel of the Jeep Wrangler and stayed at the crash site, investigators have said.

State Police are conducting an inquiry, according to spokesman David Procopio, and investigators have not decided whether to file charges. The collision reconstruction and analysis usually take a few weeks, Procopio said Saturday.

Reached after the funeral, Hoppie, 44, who lives in Hyde Park, spoke briefly about the crash. “Myself and my family are deeply saddened about the tragedy,’’ he said by phone.

Records show the state ­Registry of Motor Vehicles ­suspended Hoppie’s driver’s ­license a day after the crash.

Etienne’s uncle, Barkley Cineus, said it was ironic that his niece was killed in a crash involving an off-duty police officer. “One of Katelisa’s [aspirations] was to serve as a police officer,’’ he said. “The unfortunate driver was an off-duty ­police officer.’’

Etienne, who was often called Kiki, loved to watch movies while simultaneously listening to music, enjoyed being around children, and could quote from all the James Bond films, Cineus said.

She was laid out in a casket wearing a white dress with a pair of long, purple gloves resting on her hands. Purple was Etienne’s favorite color.

The teen was buried with a red apple, some hard candies, a small package of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers, one of her favorite snacks, and her ­sister’s Bible.

Her father, Kenol, wrote a tribute to Etienne, which read like a message penned by his daughter from the grave.

“My life is an ‘Ode to Joy,’ ’’ said the testimonial, which was read aloud by Olivia Chorlian, one of Kenol Etienne’s friends.

“It continues through the song you sing, the play that makes you cry, the scent of your perfume, the aroma of your coffee, that secret thought of yours, the I love you, I miss you of the day,’’ the reading said. “Life is beautiful! Start with a smile or with some tears if you prefer and LIVE it.’’

Milton High School Principal James Jette said he met ­Etienne when she was in the sixth grade.

“Her smile, wide and bright, which you heard many people refer to, lit up our hallways as she walked and paved her path,’’ he said. “Her approachable demeanor and her soft voice brought serenity to the chaos of a high school.’’

Cineus said his niece will be remembered for that smile.

“We all know what we want changed this minute,’’ he said. “Everybody in this room would like, want Katelisa to smile again right here, right now. It is too much to ask? I don’t think so.’’

At the end of the funeral, mourners sang in French, “Qui peut faire voile sans vent?’’ or “Who can sail without wind?’’ as they escorted Etienne’s ­casket from the church.

The funeral motorcade drove south to Milton, where the procession paused near the crash site on Brush Hill Road. Etienne’s parents, Anne and Kenol, got out and each left a floral arrangement in the ­median, where a makeshift ­memorial has been erected.

The caravan then brought Etienne’s body by her home on Concord Avenue one last time, before heading to Milton ­Cemetery.

Jonathan Wiggs of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Laura Crimaldi can be reached at laura.crimaldi@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @lauracrimaldi.