The pews of a church in The Pas, Man., sometimes shook with laughter as hundreds came together Saturday at a funeral for Manitoba's Aboriginal Affairs Minister, Oscar Lathlin, who died last weekend.

His cause of death hasn't been released, though the 61-year-old had a history of respiratory trouble.

Lathlin was remembered as a man who loved his grandchildren, camping and the occasional hunting trip, which sometimes went awry.

Edwin Jebb, Lathlin's brother-in-law, got the biggest laughs when he told a story about a moose hunting trip that saw them bag an animal, though not in the conventional way.

Lathlin's SUV collided with the creature they'd been tracking as they drove out of the bush.

"The only moose he killed was the one he ran over," said Jebb.

The cabinet minister would often talk about his pet projects over coffee, or people would approach him in a local shopping mall to discuss what was going on in the legislature, Jebb said.

"Oscar loved to tell stories about the projects he was working on," said Jebb.

His latest cause was a wellness centre, which is still under construction in The Pas.

A quiet and private man, Lathlin didn't want anyone to know that he'd been hospitalized earlier this year, Jebb said.

He didn't want people to worry about him, he added.

Premier Gary Doer cut short his part in a trade mission to China to attend the funeral.

Doer, along with cabinet colleagues Dave Chomiak and Eric Robinson, grieved the loss of a man they said was a dear friend.

Lathlin, who once served as a chief of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation, will be remembered for his single-minded mission to promote education for people in remote northern communities, they said.

Doer eulogized Lathlin as a man who knew his roots.

"Oscar always knew who he was and who he stood with, and I think that's what made him a great leader," Doer said.

The premier told the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network that when he and aboriginal leaders meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper early next year, they will continue to push for those educational opportunities which Lathlin held so dear.

A quiet-spoken man, Lathlin was remembered by colleagues as someone who simply got the work done rather than spending a lot of time glad-handing and making speeches.

Throughout his lengthy political career, and despite health problems, he would spend seven hours each weekend driving along bumpy rural roads to return home to The Pas where he had a cottage.

Federal Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl has also called Lathlin a "true visionary" and valued partner.

Some of Lathlin's proudest achievements included helping to establish a $20 million fund aimed at helping aboriginal businesses in Manitoba get off the ground or expand.

He also helped to bring post-secondary education to about a dozen remote northern communities by helping to establish the University College of the North.

Chomiak, the province's attorney general and a long-time friend, has said while Lathlin was a man of few words, when he spoke, others listened carefully.

Aboriginal leaders say they'll miss a man who had deep knowledge of the issues his people face.

Responsibility came early in Lathlin's life, when, at the age of 12, he found himself the head of the household after his father died.

He worked trap lines near his home in The Pas, in northwestern Manitoba before pursuing a university degree.

Lathlin went on to work for the federal government, before becoming chief of the Cree nation near his hometown.

Lathlin was first elected to the legislature in 1990 as a member of the NDP opposition. When the NDP took power nine years later, he was named minister of conservation.

In 2002, he switched portfolios and became the province's aboriginal affairs minister.