Portraits of Honour artist Dave Sopha lost his battle with cancer over the weekend.
The Cambridge artist’s work gained international attention in 2011 when he completed the Portraits of Honour mural and accompanied the oil painting on a cross-Canada tour.
The 42 feet wide and 10 foot high canvas took Sopha over 10,000 hours to create and features the portraits of 158 Canadian Soldiers, Sailors and Aircrew who lost their lives in Afghanistan.
In the centre of the painting, Sopha placed a white dove, symbolizing peace, love and serenity as well as the passing of the soul from earth to heaven.
In a string of Facebook condolences that came following the news of his death Monday, Mayor Kathryn McGarry wrote “an incredible man, an incredible legacy.
“Portraits of Honour was a labour of love & respect to our Veterans & First Responder heroes. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. Thank you, from a grateful community. His memory will live on in our hearts."
The Portraits of Honour Foundation became a registered charity in the years since, raising money and awareness about the Canadian military. Sopha received the Meritorious Service Medal. (M.S.M) from the Honourable Governor General David Johnston and is the recipient of numerous other awards and honours for his work supporting military veterans.
Sopha, a member of the Preston Legion and a Preston Kinsmen member for more than 30 years, had been battling pancreatic cancer for more than a year.
