Funeral services held for decorated 100-year-old Canadian fighter ace
Funeral services were held Friday morning for Second World War fighter ace James "Stocky" Edwards in Courtenay, B.C.
Edwards was a decorated Canadian fighter pilot who died on May 14 in his home just three weeks shy of his 101st birthday, with his wife, Toni, and close friends by his side.
James 'Stocky' Edwards was widely considered Canada’s greatest living fighter pilot. (Submitted)
Prior to the service at Christ the King Catholic Church, Edwards' daughter, Dorothy Edwards, shared some of her memories of her father with the media.
"It's a really sad day. He's my dad and he's not here now, but he was a hero when we needed heroes and now we need them again," she said.
Dorothy called her father an inspiration and noted that the funeral was being attended by many military personnel and friends who also admired him.
'DID EVERYTHING HE COULD'
Edwards was active in various charities and outdoor activities right up until his death.
"I think that he passed happily knowing that he did everything he could," said Edwards.
"Almost all [his interests] had the outdoors in common and the environment," she said. "He was a hunter and a fisherman and a painter. He had a whole lot of [passions], more than hobbies because he did them so well and for so long."
Edwards was well known internationally for his achievements, even being decorated several times by both Canada and France.
He was known for being humble, and his daughter says his children were unaware of their father's heroic past.
James 'Stocky' Edwards
"We didn't know at all about his heroism during the war and when we started to ask he would just pass it off," she said. "He was humble but proud in a very, very quiet way."
It wasn't until her father was approached by others that Edwards and her siblings realized the details of Edwards' past.
"People started just coming to seek him out from all over the world, really. He would accommodate everyone. He would do that with strangers that were interested," said Edwards.
Two Canadian military CF-18s jets and a Cormorant helicopter conducted a flyover above the church as Edwards' casket was being moved Friday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
WATCH LIVE | 5 dead, 19 hospitalized in shooting at July 4 parade
Police say at least five people are dead and 19 have been taken to hospitals after a shooting at a July Fourth parade in a Chicago suburb.

Canadian airlines, airports top global list of delays over the weekend
Canadian airlines and airports claimed top spots in flight delays over the July long weekend, notching more than nearly any other around the world.
NEW | Daughter of Toronto Blue Jays coach killed in 'terrible accident' while tubing in U.S.
The 17-year-old daughter of the Toronto Blue Jays' first base coach died in a 'terrible accident' while tubing in the U.S. this weekend.
'It's the real deal': Doctors warn about future wave fuelled by Omicron variants
COVID-19 cases are rising again in Canada, with the two fast-spreading Omicron sub-variants known as BA.4 and BA.5 to blame. CTVNews.ca has a guide to what you need to know about the new variants.
U.S. Capitol riot: More people turn up with evidence against Donald Trump
More witnesses are coming forward with new details on the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot following former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson's devastating testimony last week against former U.S. President Donald Trump, says a member of a U.S. House committee investigating the insurrection.
Bank of Canada surveys suggest business and consumer inflation expectations up
A pair of new reports from the Bank of Canada point to rising inflation expectations by Canadian businesses and consumers. In its business outlook survey released Monday, the central bank said businesses' expectations for near-term inflation have increased, and firms expect inflation to be high for longer than they did in the previous survey.
'He was a hero': Family says Ottawa man killed in fatal collision sacrificed himself
The family of an Ottawa man killed in a Canada Day crash in the west end says Tom Bergeron died exactly as he lived: selflessly thinking of others before himself.
COVID-19 has 'crushed' Canada's health-care system, warns doctor
Chronic staff shortages in Canada's health-care system have been exacerbated by waves of COVID-19 infections, and are pushing the system to the brink, warns a medical advocate for Doctors Manitoba.
People seen surfing on Toronto subway train in 'incredibly ill-advised' stunt
An 'incredibly ill-advised stunt' is being investigated by the Toronto Transit Commission after video emerged of two masked men carrying Canadian flags while surfing on top of a train.