Hundreds of people attended an emotional memorial for a Surrey, B.C. father fatally shot last month.

The celebration of life held for Paul Bennett in Langley Friday was so full there was only standing room left.

Bennett, a father of two who worked as a nurse and volunteered as a hockey coach, was gunned down in the driveway of his Cloverdale home on a Saturday afternoon in June. He was 47.

There was laughter amidst the tears of those who came to pay their respects to the man police have since said was the unintended victim of a targeted shooting.

"He's going to be missed a lot. It's really emotional to see and hear this today," his co-worker Tammy Larson said.

But she laughed as she remembered his Halloween antics – one year he dressed as a female nurse, complete with pink dress and red wig.

"The really ugly nurse, one of our surgeons called him," she said.

Larson described him as larger than life, supportive, funny and always there to help out.

"He made the place fun and he was the best, he really was… He cared about everybody and patients knew that, and all of us who worked with him knew that," she said.

The impressive turnout at his memorial gave strength to those feeling Bennett's loss, including Marty Jones, who knew the coach through Cloverdale Minor Hockey.

"It's incredible. It's a testament to what Paul meant to every walk of life that he interacted with and touched," Jones said.

But he added: "It's so hard not knowing why."

Homicide investigators revealed Thursday what those who knew Bennett already believed. He was not involved in any criminal activity, but instead was mistaken for someone else.

Officers said they're still working to determine the motive and the shooting's intended target.

Both investigators and Bennett's widow are pleading with the public to provide police with more information.

"Paul spent his life helping others. Now help Paul and his family find the closure we need moving forward," Darlene Bennett said at a news conference Thursday.

As the investigation continues, Bennett's co-workers are trying to help his wife and young sons with an online fundraiser already flooded with donations. In 25 days, the account has raised nearly $50,000.

"I'm so honoured that everyone is coming forward and helping so much, and we can do this in memory of Paul and for his family," Larson said.

His hockey teammates offered their own touching tribute, using their hockey sticks to build a chair as distinctive as their friend was.

With a report from CTV Vancouver's Penny Daflos