Hundreds of mourners, including family, friends and colleagues, filled a church in the south shore town of Lunenburg on Thursday to their pay final respects to one of Nova Scotia's most noted politicians.

Michael Baker, the province's finance minister, died Monday at his Lunenburg home after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 52.

Premier Rodney MacDonald and most of his cabinet attended the funeral service at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, along with several politicians from the province's opposition parties.

A second nearby church in the town was opened to handle an overflow of mourners, where a video feed of the service was provided.

Baker, who was diagnosed with a form of skin cancer in 2006, continued to work throughout his fight with the disease and was busy preparing the province's spring budget just weeks before his death.

His determination to stay on the job drew an emotion-choked tribute from MacDonald earlier this week.

On Thursday, MacDonald said Baker would be remembered by his colleagues for his "tremendous" sense of humour, intelligence, love for history and family.

"It's a friendship that goes beyond the political boundaries for all of us," he said outside a cabinet meeting in Halifax.

"Michael, every day, enjoyed life. I would often take a look at pictures of us, especially in the last number of years, and it seemed as though every picture in the house of assembly, the minister of finance and I were having a laugh."

Baker was first elected to the legislature in 1998 and was re-elected three times.

He held key positions in the cabinet of former premier John Hamm and later under MacDonald.

His high-profile portfolios included transportation and justice, and he was also chairman of the treasury and policy board.

Chris d'Entremont, who is serving as interim finance minister, said taking over for Baker has been difficult.

"It's been very heavy on the heart," he added outside the cabinet meeting.

Baker's reliability and political acumen also drew a tribute earlier this week from Hamm, who called him "one of the finest public servants of his generation."

Baker initially practised law after graduating from Dalhousie University in Halifax.

He worked in Chester and Mahone Bay and became solicitor for the town of Mahone Bay before eventually running for the Conservatives.

Murray Scott, minister of economic and rural development, recalled the first day the two of them entered the legislature in 1998.

"Michael was a large man in size, but he was also a large man in heart," he said.

Baker is survived by his wife Cynthia and their sons Matthew, 17, and Daniel,15.