OTTAWA — Sgt. Darcy Tedford’s widow gently stroked her husband’s beret and medals as he was laid to rest today at the national war cemetery.

Family, friends and comrades from the Royal Canadian Regiment gathered at the graveside under a grey sky to pay their last respects following a private funeral service.

With her two young daughters by her side, Charmaine Tedford was presented with her husband’s beret, medals and the Canadian flag that had been draped across his coffin. No family members or friends spoke at the burial, but Charmaine and daughter Kaeleigh touched the coffin in a final tearful farewell.

Tedford, 32, was killed in Afghanistan along with Pte. Blake Williamson on Oct. 14. They were patrolling a road west of Kandahar when their unit was ambushed by Taliban insurgents, who fired a flurry of rocket-propelled grenades and small arms. Several Canadian soldiers have died along the stretch of road, which is under construction in the Panjwaii district.

Tedford, based at CFB Petawawa, Ont., was remembered by friends serving overseas as a quietly confident soldier who had several deployments to his credit. In an interview shortly after both men were killed, Capt. Ryan Carey said Tedford could be relied on for wise advice.