Nicole Starker said the family decided to hold a public memorial for her husband, Cpl. Michael Starker, to share their pride in him and their support for the Afghan mission. (CBC)

The widow of the latest Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan said his family has decided to hold a public memorial to share their pride in her husband and show their support for the mission.

Speaking publicly for the first time since the death of her husband, Cpl. Michael Starker, Nicole Starker said Tuesday that the family is "just trying to get through this time and focus on giving Mike the greatest and best farewell that he deserves."

"We want to talk about Mike," she said, explaining she wanted people to know what a great husband, uncle and friend he was. "We want to tell people how proud we are of him, and not just of him but all of the Canadians serving over there and other places in the world. And to show our support."

The memorial for Starker, a Calgary paramedic, will be held Friday at the Roundup Centre in Stampede Park at 2 p.m. MT.

Cpl. Michael Starker was ambushed and killed on May 6 while on foot patrol in the Pashmul region, outside Kandahar City. (Department of National Defence)

Starker's sister, Carolyn Straub, said, "He died for his country, so it's nice to involve the country in a farewell, so they won't forget."

Starker, 36, was ambushed and killed on May 6 while on foot patrol in the Pashmul region, outside Kandahar City. He had been providing medical assistance to fellow soldiers in Afghanistan since December as a reservist with the Alberta-based 15 Field Ambulance, his second tour of duty there.

Nicole Starker said her husband had been excited to go to Afghanistan, and the pair had spoken about the dangers before he left.

"In his true fashion, he said 'Nothing is going to happen to me, and there's nothing to worry about,'" she said. "And honestly, I believed it. I honestly thought he was too good a guy for anything really to happen to him."

She said the family is grateful for all the public support since his death.

"We've had an amazing amount of support from family and friends, but also from all the city departments, from the military," she said. "We're overwhelmed and touched by the amount of support that Calgary and Canada has been giving us."

Many members of the public have been "saying thank you to us for his sacrifice and for what he did," she said.

Nicole Starker said Friday's memorial is a chance to remember her husband and share his belief in the Afghan mission with the public.

"I think it's important for people to have that connection to what Canada's doing and why, and the losses that we're taking," she said.

"I think that there are a lot of times where people can't see a connection between what we're doing there and what it means for us here. … If we are helping to keep terrorists out of a safe haven in Afghanistan … that helps to make us safer here. And I think sometimes we don't see that connection everyday. And obviously, now, I will."

Cpl. Michael Starker was the 83rd Canadian soldier and fourth Calgarian killed in Afghanistan since the mission began in 2002.