Pte. Alexandre Péloquin, 20, was killed by an explosion in southern Afghanistan. He served with the 3rd Battalion of the Royal 22nd Regiment, based at CFB Valcartier near Quebec City. (Department of National Defence)

Family, friends, army colleagues and mourners from as far away as the United States came to pay tribute on Saturday to Pte. Alexandre Péloquin.

The 20-year-old infantryman was killed June 8 after stepping on an explosive device while patrolling in the dangerous Panjwaii district of Afghanistan.

Hundreds lined the streets of his hometown of Brownsburg-Chatham, Que., a town of some 6,660 people about 75 kilometres northwest of Montreal, and bade farewell to Péloquin with the honour, precision and solemnity of a traditional military funeral.

His casket, draped in the Canadian flag, was carried into the St-Louis-de-France church by eight soldiers as townspeople, some in tears, stood quietly outside.

"Alexandre, let the doors of heaven open for you," Rev. Claude Pigeon said in his prayer, his voice carrying to the crowd gathered around the church.

"Your brothers [in arms] are there to greet you."

After a soldier played The Last Post — a bugle call used at military funerals — the Canadian flag was lifted from Péloquin's coffin, folded and handed with his military insignia to his mother. Monique Chevrier stood with her son's insignia in her arms and her head bowed while a family member placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"These gestures mark our profound respect for the one who fell and to whom we are saying farewell," said Pigeon.

The mourners — military and civilian — came to pay their final respects to the man they described as disciplined, strong-willed and brave.

"By the end, Alexandre had grown into a man," said Lucille Chevrier, his aunt.

"He believed in the army and we respect him for that."

She said Péloquin had devoted his life to the military — from his childhood ambitions, to the time he joined the cadets, until he finally entered the forces in October 2007.

"He was a man who was brave, honest, generous, ready to help anyone," she said. "He was a wonderful nephew."

Chantal Laurin, who knew Péloquin as a cadet in the nearby town of Lachute, recalled him as disciplined, polite and "very determined."

"We've lost a hero, a young man loved by everybody," she said, as the hearse carrying his coffin drove by.

During the funeral, many of the fallen soldier's friends wore T-shirts or badges with the Superman symbol on it because Péloquin was such a huge fan of the superhero.

Péloquin became the 119th Canadian soldier to die during the Afghan mission since 2002 but his death was followed six days later by that of Cpl. Martin Dube, who was killed when a roadside bomb he was trying to defuse exploded.

Péloquin belonged to the 3rd Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment, and was based at Canadian Forces Base Valcartier near Quebec City.

He had been part of a six-day operation to find and neutralize improvised explosive devices.