Pte. Shaun Farrell, who was killed in the CFB Wainwright fire in Alberta, will be laid to rest in his home of Prince Albert, Sask., Wednesday.
Pte. Farrell, of the Edmonton-based 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, died at the age of 23 on Oct. 17. He was among the 84 members of the battalion participating in a training exercise at the base when the fire started. The blaze was fanned by strong winds, according to the military.
Pte. Farrell’s friends and loved ones, as well as representatives of the Canadian Armed Forces and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, are expected to speak. Farrell’s funeral will begin at 11 a.m. local time Wednesday.
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Three other soldiers died. Thirty-nine CAF members were injured, according to the Department of National Defence.
Addressing reporters following the tragedy, Andre Grobler, a friend and spokesperson for the Farrell family, remembered the 23-year-old as an “extraordinary young man.”
“If there was one thing about Shaun, it was this: tell him he couldn’t do something and he would prove you wrong. Shaun possessed a quiet, bulldog-like tenacity. He refused to let labels define him and he refused to let anyone else dictate what his future could be,” Grobler added.
He described Farrell’s time in the military as “his true calling (and) his dream,” saying Farrell found a sense of belonging when he joined the 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry.
“Many of us watched him transform. Shaun grew into a confident, deeply purposeful warrior who embraced every challenge of service with total commitment and genuine joy,” the family spokesperson said.
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