Hundreds remember soldier and father

Dozens of people had to stand at the back of Sudbury's Church of the Epiphany to join the outpouring of grief and remembrance for Sgt. Jesse Tait.

OPP officers recovered Tait's body from the Kaministiquia River near Thunder Bay on Jan. 22. No foul play was suspected. He was 34 years old.

Saturday morning, Tait's friends, family, and his colleagues from the Canadian Armed Forces, remembered him as a man with a big bright smile, and who was always the “light in the room.”

Tait's uncle, David Douglas, said the week following his death was difficult for his family, but he recalled lighter moments with his good-humoured nephew.

Douglas recounted a time he and Tait's cousin, Michael, were passengers while his nephew – who was a licenced pilot – took them on a scenic flight around Thunder Bay.
They flew over a nearby canyon, at which point Tait tilted the four-seater to its side so his passengers could get a better view.

“How did you like that boys?” Tait asked his uncle and cousin after he righted the plane.
From a young age, Tait had a strong interest in the army.

He joined the cadets in Naughton, which later led to a military career with Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry.

Tait did two tours of duty during his military career.

The first was in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2003, and the second was in Afghanistan, in 2008, where he served as a sniper.

He had proven to be a master marksman since his early days as a cadet.

Derek Rose, Tait's friend and colleague, recalled his comrade's great sense of humour.
“He was the most energetic practical joker I ever met,” Rose said.

He said Tait once switched the letters on a colleague's keyboard so everything they wrote would turn out to be gibberish.

He often had a rubber snake on hand to give friends and colleagues a bit of a scare and lighten the mood in a tense environment.

But while on tour, Rose said Tait was a consummate professional.

He had a great sense of adventure, and loved to learn about different cultures.
“He feasted on what the world had to offer,” said Rose.

When they both served in Afghanistan, Rose said Tait once tried to ride a donkey to impress soldiers with the Afghan National Army. It worked.

“They loved him,” Rose said.

Tait made an effort to learn their language, something not many Canadian soldiers did.
Rose could not hold back his tears when he ended his eulogy.

“I will miss Jesse, but I'm lucky to have known him,” he said.

In additional to his ability as a pilot, Tait was a national biathlon champion, and gold medallist from 1997 to 1999.

He was proud of his Scottish heritage, and showed it by excelling at the bagpipes.
Tait was also a freemason, and joined the Brandon Shrine Club in 2013.

He is survived by his wife, Katrina; his young sons, Lochlan Stewart Larson and Watson Strong Douglas; his mother, Jocelyn; and his sister, Meredith Smith. His father, Stewart, died in 2008.