Philando Castile may forever be known as a victim of injustice when he was gunned down by a police officer at a traffic stop in Minnesota but his legacy stems much further than that. 

According to TIME magazine, Castile was a noble character in his community, serving kids as a cafeteria supervisor at J.J. Hill Montessori Magnet School in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

“He remembered their names," Joan Edman, a recently retired paraprofessional at the school, told TIME. "He remembered who couldn’t have milk. He knew what they could have to eat and what they couldn’t. This was a real guy. He made a real contribution. Yes, black lives matter. But this man mattered.”

In a statement from Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS), Castile was described as "a team player who maintained great relationships with staff and students alike."

"Kids loved him," a co-worker said according to SPPS' statement. "He was smart, over-qualified. He was quiet, respectful, and kind. I knew him as warm and funny; he called me his 'wing man.' He wore a shirt and tie to his supervisor interview and said his goal was to one day 'sit on the other side of this table.’”

Castile had worked for the Saint Paul Public Schools since he was 19 years old and was promoted to a supervisory position in 2014, according the schools' statement.

On Thursday, parents in the Saint Paul community marched in protest of Castile's death and police shootings, and expressed their adoration for Castile.

Earlier this week a police officer fatally shot Castile at a traffic stop while his girlfriend Diamond Reynolds and her 4-year-old daughter were with him in the car. Castile reportedly had a gun but did not have it in his hand according to a witness account. Reynolds, who said that Castile compiled with the officer, live-streamed the incident on Facebook where it attracted national outrage. 

[h/t TIME]