Jesse Deer, a Mohawk radio personality who died Tuesday from complications after contracting the swine flu, was laid to rest in Kahnawake on Saturday afternoon.
"He was such a nice guy. He was there for me when I needed him. So I just thought I needed to be here for him as well," said Sarahlee Skidders, a friend who attended the funeral service.
Deer, who was diabetic, had been in hospital suffering from the H1N1 virus and pneumonia.
Grieving family members said they were still in shock over his death.
"I never thought I'd be coming here for my brother -- not this young either," said Peter Deer, Jesse's 19-year-old brother.
Deer, 23, worked at K103 Radio co-hosting The Afternoon Drive Show with Abby Jacobs.
Although he was young, Deer was a well-known and respected media personality who wrote a newspaper column and worked as a television reporter and deejay in the community.
The main page of K103's website is now a tribute to Deer, who was called "Big Sexy" by his colleagues.
"He just loved everybody here," said Richard Tardiff, who worked with Deer at the community newspaper The Eastern Door.
"You walk down the street with Jesse and everybody is waving at you -- and you think they're waving at you, but they're looking at Big Sexy...He was a great guy."
Memorial scholarship
Kahnawake media plan to establish a memorial scholarship in Deer's name.
Steve Bonspiel, editor of The Eastern Door, said scholarship is expected to be given out for the first time next fall.
The Eastern Door, Ior�:wase (Kahnawakenews.com), Mohawk TV, KTV and K103 Radio will each pledge $500 towards the award.
"The scholarship will be awarded annually to a student pursuing post secondary media-related studies. A committee consisting of representatives of the founding media will select students who exemplify Jesse's ideals, work ethic, community involvement and, most of all, the positive spirit he embodied," Bonspiel wrote in an article published online.
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