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A young man who was beheaded in a seemingly random attack aboard a Greyhound bus more than a week ago was remembered Saturday as a friendly free spirit who loved meeting new friends.

Hundreds of people lined the streets around a Winnipeg church while more than 600 people packed inside for the funeral of Tim McLean, 22.

His uncle, Alex McLean, told those gathered that his nephew was “friendly, kind, sweet and caring.”

Tim McLean, a travelling carnival worker, loved making friends on his many journeys, said his uncle.

But “he never left behind the ones he made in high school,” Alex McLean said. “His love of his friends was easy to see.”

He also remembered his nephew's tremendous sense of humour, recalling that the last time he saw him he was shirtless and flexing his muscles, trying to make his loved ones laugh.

“That was your trademark,” he said. “We can still see your smiling face, happy-go-lucky smile, not a care in the world.”

A video tribute played during the service started with a snapshot of the young man as a toddler, grinning as he sat in a child's carnival ride shaped like a bee. Another shot that showed him shirtless, wearing a helmet, sent a ripple of chuckles through the packed church.

Tim McLean was killed July 30 as he dozed on a Greyhound bus. Witnesses have said that he was stabbed repeatedly by his seatmate before he was decapitated and his body carved up.

Vince Weiguang Li, 40, was taken into custody by police after a standoff on the bus and charged with second-degree murder. He has been ordered by a judge to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

The story of Mr. McLean's death has captured international attention, appearing extensively in foreign publications.

Several groups have also sought to use the publicity to shine light on their own causes.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, tried to run a graphic newspaper ad comparing the beheading to the treatment of animals by the meat industry.

Members of a fanatical American church had also announced plans to travel north to protest at the funeral, saying the slaying was God's response to Canadian policies enabling abortion, homosexuality and adultery.

But there was no sign of the group on Saturday.

Some of the hundreds of people who gathered outside the church were there as part of a “counter-protest,” saying they wanted to ensure the group was kept away from the McLean family. Other spectators said they simply wanted to show their support.

“I don't know the family or anything. I'm just here to help, if I can, to make sure those people don't get near the family,” said Terry Moor, 50.

Tim McLean grew up in Winnipeg and Elie, Man., surrounded by “more family than he could shake a stick at,” according to his obituary.

He “could never stand still, there was a whole world to see and everywhere he went, he brought light and joy,” it said.

“From your first breath you were loved beyond imagination, and although you were taken from us too quickly, we will never say goodbye, but for now see you later.”

Friends have spoken about how much he meant to so many people, and tens of thousands of people have joined a Facebook group set up in his memory.

His mother released a statement Friday asking for media to respect the family's privacy “during our time of mourning.”

Before the service began, John Jorgensen, 19, who lived in the same west Winnipeg neighbourhood as Tim McLean, remembered him as an “uplifting, positive guy.”

“If you were in a bad mood, he would make you in a great mood,” said Mr. Jorgensen.

“His whole demeanour, he was so uplifting, he was a positive guy.”