September 20, 2006

Morley's family said he would be "missed by all of his family and friends, who are very proud of him."

"Keith was also proud of what he was doing in Afghanistan," read the statement released by his relatives

"He was a good soldier and a tough guy with a good heart."

That good heart stopped beating when a suicide bomber on a bike pedalled his way through a marketplace until he was close enough to kill Morley and two other Canadian soldiers.

On Sept. 23, Morley, came home in a casket on what would have been his 31st birthday to his family, who had tied a yellow ribbon around a small tree on the lawn of their St. Vital home.

"In many ways, he grew up an average Canadian boy, but he was far from ordinary," his mother Della Morley told reporters outside the family home before a private memorial service.

"He served his country with pride and certainty,"

She talked about her son's love for his dog, Lokie, and his joy in choosing the perfect gift for family members.

"Children were drawn to him. He could so easily have been one of them. He loved his dog... and laughed at his puppy antics. Keith always found the perfect gift for each and every one of us."

Morley's sister Shannon said he was confident about his mission in Afghanistan. "He felt good about what he was doing," she said.

Cpl. Mark Jackson remembered Morley as a man who had finally found his calling when he entered the army.

"He looked as though he had found a purpose," Jackson recalled. "Keith's been taken from all of us, but I have no doubt I will see him again. Keith, my old friend, you wore the Canadian flag with honour. You will never be forgotten.""