Statement from the family Master Corporal Timothy Wilson
 
A few days after Master Corporal Timothy Wilson died from injuries suffered in a vehicle accident in Afghanistan, a letter he had written to his wife, Daphne, and their two young children arrived at his home in southern Manitoba.

MCpl. Wilson's letter told his family in Wawanesa, 50 kilometres southeast of Brandon, about the suffering and privation of Afghans.

"He talked about the children in Afghanistan and how they had nothing," said his uncle, Kerry Arksey.

Mr. Arksey and his wife, Sharron, said the love and compassion their nephew had for family and others also extended to animals, a preoccupation he shared with his wife, who is involved in providing a haven for broken-down horses.

Today, MCpl. Wilson, 30, is being laid to rest at a military cemetery at CFB Shilo, just north of Wawanesa, where he served with Bravo Company of the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.

As a youth, MCpl. Wilson, who was born in Grand Prairie, Alta., and later moved to Manitoba, used to help out on his uncle's Langruth cattle ranch northwest of Winnipeg.

"He did chores for me. If you ever needed an extra hand, he was always there to do that," Mr. Arksey said. "He always had a willingness to work. He was like most kids in the country, he wanted to have a car of his own and he worked toward getting that."

One day, a farm cat got drenched in paint that had spilled.

"It was absolutely covered in paint. Tim spent hours cleaning it up because he was concerned it was going to die," Mr. Arksey recalled. "When I got home -- I had been out haying -- you couldn't tell it had been in the paint."

MCpl. Wilson's concern for others was demonstrated in another way with his mother Jane's revelation that he had donated his organs to an international organ program.

"Although his death is a terrible tragedy, I hope that his tremendous gift will provide a better life for the many recipients who will benefit from this," Mrs. Wilson said in a statement issued by the Canadian Forces on her and her husband Dale's behalf.

"We have always supported Tim's military career. Although he has died, he did so doing something he loved and deeply believed in -- both in life and in death."

Mr. Wilson, a retired Royal Canadian Military Police officer, and Mrs. Wilson live in Kenora, Ont. Their other two sons are also soldiers. Ben is in the navy and Chris is in the air force.

MCpl. Wilson had been in the military for about eight years. When he was injured March 2 in Kandahar, he was on his second Afghan tour and had also served in Bosnia. He died a few days later while being treated for head injuries in Landstuhl, Germany.

Mr. Arksey said his nephew always had an interest in the military and that may have been natural given his father was an RCMP officer and his grandfather had served during the Second World War.

Ms. Arksey said her nephew loved to spend time at his parents' summer cabin near Kenora.

"He didn't like fishing, but he did enjoy hunting," she said.

Although his death is a terrible tragedy, I hope that his tremendous gift will provide a better life for the many recipients who will benefit from this," Wilson's wife, Daphne, said in the release.

"Tim's selflessness earned him the admiration and respect of all who knew him."

"We have always supported Tim's military career," said his mother, Jane Wilson. "Although he has died, he did so doing something he loved and deeply believed in - both in life and in death."...

Thank you, Master Cpl. Wilson, for your service to your country & your efforts to improve the lot of others.

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