WINNIPEG - Before he was killed when his armoured vehicle ran off the road in Afghanistan last year, Master Cpl. Timothy Wilson loved to spend time fishing on Manitoba's lakes.
Now his name will be permanently attached to a remote body of water in the heart of the Canadian Shield.
The Manitoba government is honouring Wilson and another soldier who died while serving in Afghanistan, Cpl. Keith Morley, by naming two lakes after them.
"He really enjoyed fishing, he enjoyed camping. He just loved the outdoors," Wilson's father, Dale Wilson, said at a ceremony Friday at the Manitoba legislature.
"That's the way I raised him."
The lakes, both north of Flin Flon, were unnamed until now. Manitoba has a long-standing practice of naming geographical features such as lakes and hills after residents who die during military service.
"It's bittersweet, it really is," said Dale Wilson, who has two other sons in the military.
"I can't tell you how much Timothy's loss devastated us. There's a piece of my heart missing and there always will be. But I was very proud of Tim and what he accomplished."
Relatives of both soldiers said they plan to head north soon to visit the lakes that now bear the names of their families.
"I would love to go up there soon ... I plan on it," said Della Morley. Her son Keith was on foot patrol when he was attacked by a suicide bomber on a bicycle in September of 2006.
In 1995, Manitoba completed the naming of geographical areas in honour of residents who died during the Second World War. Those who died in the Korean War have been similarly honoured.
"Manitobans cannot even begin to thank (Morley and Wilson) for their sacrifice, for the sacrifice of their families and for the great military dedication they had during their careers," Premier Gary Doer said shortly before presenting relatives of the men with framed certificates.
"I know how difficult it is to remember people and commemorate their lives, but I think it's extremely important that ... we continue to remember our veterans and we continue to commemorate the lives that have been sacrificed on our behalf in the name of Canada."
Morley and Wilson are the first Manitobans who died in Afghanistan to have lakes named after them. Pte. Lane Watkins is expected to be the third. He died in July at the age of 20 in a roadside bomb attack near Kandahar, and the province is expected to honour him in the coming months.
In all, 71 Canadians have lost their lives since the conflict began five years ago.