Dave and Donna McKeough were high school sweethearts. (inmemoriam.ca)

Saint Joseph's Catholic Church in North Sydney was overflowing Saturday morning as nearly 1,000 people came to pay their respects for a Cape Breton couple who died in a car accident.

Dave and Donna McKeough died when their car collided head-on with another vehicle on June 7.

Saturday morning, the police had to block off the street because there were so many cars parked outside the church.

The McKeough's eldest daughter, who is recovering from injuries suffered during the crash, attended the funeral in a wheelchair.

The McKeough's worked in the school system. Donna McKeough, 45, was a placement officer at Memorial High in Sydney Mines, while Dave McKeough, 46, taught music at three Sydney elementary schools.

Dave McKeough was a well-known musician who played with Cape Breton's top artists. Throughout the ceremony, people placed guitar picks at the front of the church as several musicians performed, including JP Cormier.

"It's a tragic loss, not only to the music community, but to just all of us because he was such a tremendous man," Cormier said. "She was an incredible person, too. We're all just broken and worried about the kids."

The couple, whose remains were in a single urn, was described as high school sweethearts who were passionate about their three children.