The family of two-year-old Chase Martens mourned him Wednesday as a child who brought joy to anyone who heard him laugh, days after a search for the missing boy ended in tragedy.

More than 500 people joined his parents Destiny Turner and Thomas Martens for a memorial service at MacGregor Sommerfeld Mennonite Church, in MacGregor, Man., west of Winnipeg.

Chase’s grandmother, Margaret Martens, gave a eulogy.

“We will miss his laughter, his giggles, his energetic ways and the way he would show his love and affection to his mommy and daddy and his sisters,” she said.

Pastor Abe Gunther led the memorial service. He had taught Chase’s father at Sunday school, and visited him shortly after Chase’s death.

“They lost their little son, but that little son, we know where he is, he is sitting on the right hand with Jesus,” Gunther said.

Among the hundreds at the church were volunteers with the Austin and MacGregor fire departments, who were among the first to arrive at the family’s property near Austin when Chase went missing last week.

The boy’s disappearance sparked a five-day search. It ended Saturday when Chase’s body was found in a nearby creek. He had drowned, RCMP investigators said.

“It gripped the whole community,” Gunther said. “We all had a love for that little boy.”

Chase’s grandmother recalled how the boy loved animals, enjoyed watching his father work and shared a special bond with his two older sisters.

One of those sisters waved goodbye as ushers carried his small white casket from the church.

“He gave his family a lifetime of love and happiness in the two years he was with us,” Margaret Martens said.

With a report from CTV Winnipeg’s Josh Crabb in MacGregor, Man.