The Carcross School was closed this afternoon to give students and staff the opportunity to attend the funeral of Frank Estrada in Whitehorse.

'He was not just the custodian, he was the life and soul of our school, he really was,' Carcross principal Brian Shanahan said in an interview today.

He spoke shortly before departing for Estrada's funeral, where he was to help deliver the eulogy.

'Frank was always, always happy,' Shanahan said. 'He just had that personality that would just make you almost want to reach out and hug him.

'You never went away from Frank without feeling good.'

The 52-year-old Tagish resident died late last week after falling through the ice on his snowmachine while returning home along the Six Mile River that joins Tagish and Marsh lakes.

The funeral began at 2 p.m. at Sacred Heart Cathedral.

Shanahan said Estrada would volunteer to help for anything and everything, whether for the school or the community.

He was the Santa Claus and the cook for the school bison. He was also a confidante to students and staff.

'He was a family man, a family man beyond family men,' Shanahan said.

One Whitehorse woman remembers Estrada coaching her grandson some 15 years ago, but never went without asking about him over the years.

He just loved people and loved life, Shanahan said.

He was, the principal emphasized, one of those rare and unique individuals who touched people.

'That was just his nature; that was just Frank.'

Estrada had also run the restaurant at Montana Services for a number of years, and was the proprietor of the Waterfront Donut Shop in the Horwood's Mall in Whitehorse in the late 1990s.

Estrada was reported overdue last Friday night. His body was recovered last Saturday afternoon.

Shanahan said the shock and loss of their colleague and friend were evident among staff and students all week.