 Col. Geoff Parker, 42, was killed on May 18. (DND/HO)
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ARUNDEL, Que. - The highest ranking soldier to die in Afghanistan was buried on Friday afternoon at a cemetery in the small municipality of Arundel in the Laurentians.
Col. Geoff Parker, 42, who was killed on May 18, was laid to rest at the foot of the monument belonging to his in-laws, the Baugh Family.
Nearly 300 people - family, friends, a few curious onlookers and members of the military - attended the brief ceremony.
Parker's wife, Mary Jane Parker, and their two children, Charlie and Alex, sat a few feet away from the casket during the ceremony. The family owns a cottage in the Arundel area and had spent summers there in the past.
During the ceremony, Parker's decorated uniform was placed on casket and both it and the Canadian flag draped on the casket were folded and presented to his widow.
The three Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR) battalions were represented at the ceremony. Among them were several high ranking soldiers that had known Parker throughout his career.
"He was a gentleman," said Maj. Russell King, who had known Parker for 21 years. "(He was) a family man and a devoted husband."
The ceremony was followed by a reception at the local branch of the Royal Canadian Legion near the cemetery.
A native of Oakville, Ont., Parker was killed in a suicide bombing by the Taliban. Five American soldiers and 12 Afghan civilians were also killed during the attack.
Parker is the seventh Canadian soldier to be killed in Afghanistan this year and the 145th to die since the mission started.
