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Two mourners embrace after the funeral of truck driver Christopher Fulton in London, Ont., on Saturday.

A memorial service will be held Saturday to mark the life of Chris Fulton, who was on his way home last Monday to celebrate his wedding anniversary when his truck collided with a van filled with farm workers.

Mr. Fulton, who lived in London, Ont., was one of 11 people killed in the crash on a country road in the hamlet of Hampstead, northeast of Stratford. It was one of deadliest traffic collisions in Ontario history.

Tributes for Mr. Fulton have poured out online. The 38-year-old truck driver for Brampton-based Speedy Transport was an avid golfer and a rabid Detroit Tigers baseball fan. He was a self-taught handyman and always willing to lend a hand.

On the day of the crash, his employer believes he tried to avoid the van, which police say failed to halt at a stop sign. But Mr. Fulton couldn't avoid the van carrying 13 farm workers, most of them migrants from Peru. The van crumpled; his truck flipped onto its roof. Only three people survived.

Mr. Fulton was about an hour away from reaching his home to celebrate his 11th wedding anniversary with his wife, Teresa. His tragic death has resonated with Judith Dowler, whose husband also drives trucks for a living.

"Every day we hold them in our hearts as they travel the many miles of roadways until they return safely to our arms," she wrote online. "My heart is with you at this sad time. I truly know that Chris was a HERO! I believe it is the truckers unwritten rule to put others lives ahead of their own."

On Sunday in Kitchener, a funeral service will be held for farm worker Juan Castillo at Tabernaculo Bautista Nuevo Jerusalem. Originally from Nicaragua, Mr. Castillo had lived in Canada for 20 years, working in the poultry industry.

With a report from Adrian Morrow

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