"One of a kind'' Balclutha man Mitchell McPhee (23) was farewelled by family and friends in Balclutha at a memorial service attended by more than 500, held at the South Otago Town & Country Club yesterday afternoon.
Among those present was Mr McPhee's long-term partner, Nicole Thomson, who is expecting their first child, a son, shortly.
Speaking on behalf of Mr McPhee's family, celebrant Alex McLaughlin said "likeable rogue'' Mitchell was a young man whose "life was on the up''.
"He had lots to live for. What a waste and how sad it is that he didn't get to hold his new baby.''
"I'm told that last Friday Mitch became quite emotional when he saw the 3-D scan of his baby.''
The "energetic, hard-working'' freezing worker had been planning to buy a house and start a family with his partner, before he and Balclutha workmate Malcolm Ward (51) died in unexplained circumstances while paua diving in the Catlins on October 27.
"He and Nicole were making plans together. He was getting his life sorted.''
In a tearful address, Mr McPhee's sister Lauren Buckingham, of Waimate, said her younger brother was "always the wild child''.
"I know how excited you were about your baby boy's arrival. I'm so sorry things haven't worked out as we expected, but we'll make sure he knows about the cheeky, fun-loving guy you were.''
As a boy and young man - despite being more interested in playing outdoors than studying - Mr McPhee would continually surprise his family and friends with his quick and witty sense of humour, and his capacity for memorising interesting facts, Mr McLaughlin said.
"Everywhere Mitch went, people quickly grew to love him,'' Mr McLaughlin said.
"He could be spontaneous with funny sayings and songs, ranging from rap to opera, and was fascinated by the mysteries of the universe.''
A keen biker, later car enthusiast, Mr McPhee had the broken bones - and cars - to prove it.
"He had no fear. People would joke he was a regular customer of Munro Auto Spares.''
Loyal and generous "to a fault'', he was beloved of friends and family alike, and would leave a "huge void'' in people's lives.
Speaking on behalf of Mr McPhee's parents, Owen and Sue, Mr McLaughlin said "no words'' could express their grief and sorrow at this time.
"Go solve the mysteries of the universe, Mitch, and, when it's our time, you can lead us on our way.''
- The Otago Daily Times was granted permission to attend the funeral.
