JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Dozens came to pay their respect at the Jewish Community Alliance for the life of a veteran, who was loved by many.
The line was out of the door at the memorial service for 46-year-old canoer, who went missing on Dec. 23 and was found three days later.
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Eiffel Gilyana, who served as an Iraqi Christian interpreter with the U.S. Army Special Forces, was paddling on an outrigger canoe with a group when they lost sight of him, and his canoe was later found damaged.
Gilyana was later found seven miles from where he was last seen near the St. Augustine Inlet.
During the memorial, every seat was taken and dozens of people were standing along the sides of the room.
Also, his coworkers from JCA spoke about the kind of man Eiffel was, and what it was like to work with him.
“Always wanting to help, no matter what he was doing he always figured out how to find more time to cram things in. Yet as busy as he was he found individual time for every single person he came in contact with,” JCA CEO Adam Chaskin said about Eiffel.
RELATED: Loved ones mourn loss of local veteran found dead after weekend canoe trip
The Jewish Community Alliance, where Gilyana worked as a fitness and wellness director, shared its condolences with his family.
The funeral will be on Tuesday at the St. Ephrem Syriac Catholic Church on Kernan Boulevard at 11 a.m.
Gilyana’s family shared on a GoFundMe page their deep sorrow at his loss.