He is smiling, on the verge of giggling – a typical state for 15-month-old Braxton Nowlan-Wade who has now been laid to rest by family, friends and the community of Ripley.

"He was a fallen angel, from the heavens. He is a son, a brother and nephew," Braxton's uncle Brad Sielaff read in a touching tribute from the Ripley boy's grandmother and main carer, Lea Ann Sielaff.

"You saw his personality in the way he sang and the way he danced and the way he played with his sister and he would wink and smile with that mischievous look on his face.

"Every morning he would say hello to you with loving, open arms.

"Braxton, you are the beam of light and our sun."

The toddler died when he was hit in a driveway by a state government car on January 12. His funeral was held at the Centenary Memorial Gardens, west of Brisbane, on Thursday.

Few managed to keep their composure.

Nikki Milesi and Samantha Sielaff both choked back tears as they spoke about their adored godson.

"Dear Braxton, I love you so, so much. I wish you were still here," they said, each finishing the other's sentences when the moment became too much.

"There hasn't been a day that has passed where I don't think about you. I miss you so dearly.

"This isn't goodbye, as we will meet again soon.

"Until then, you are at peace and you will never ever be forgotten and you will remain in our hearts and always forever."

Milky Chance's song Stolen Dance was piped in the chapel, with the mix of uplifting and despairing lyrics resonating in the room.

No sun is shining anymore

The only thing I feel is pain

Caused by absence of you

Suspense controlling my mind

I cannot find the way out of here

Pallbearers carried the tiny coffin out of the chapel to Gumnut Garden – a section of the gardens reserved for children taken too soon.

Bubbles floated over the crowd and balloons bobbed in the breeze as Braxton reached his final resting place.

As one, the mourners released balloons as a tribute to his memory.

"Just because you can't see the balloons doesn't mean they're not still flying in the sky," the funeral director said.

"Likewise, just because you can't see Braxton doesn't mean he's not still there with you."

After the service, the toddler's uncle, Sean Baldwin, paid tribute to the people who had helped his family get through this toughest of times.

"On behalf of our family we thank the emergency services, the paramedics, the media for their professionalism and especially the wider community of Ripley," he said.

The child was hit by a Department of Community Services car in the driveway of his grandmother's home. Police are investigating the death.