Hundreds of firefighters and friends remembered Cindy Kampmeinert at a memorial in Vancouver on Thursday.
The 41-year-old firefighter was seriously injured in December when her motorcycle collided with a bus in the Indian city of Goa.
A British tourist she had met found her by the side of the road and tried unsuccessfully to get her admitted at several hospitals.
After a delay of around eight hours, Kampmeinert was eventually treated but died five days later.
Her friends describe her as a woman for an incredible zest for life, with ready hugs and a drive to try just about anything.
"Her full-time job was a firefighter, and for some people, that was their life, but that was just one element of her," said her friend Lane Tuttle at the First Baptist Church in downtown Vancouver, where the memorial was held.
"She loved music, travel and crammed so many thing into her life that I would never be able to do in my whole life."
"It's heartbreaking. I thought, personally, she would outlive all of us. The irony is she died doing what she loved," said her friend Leigh Cousins.
Jessica Reese, the woman who came to Kampmeinert's aid in India, flew from England to be in Vancouver for the memorial.
She was honoured by the Vancouver Fire Service for trying to save Kampmeinert's life.
Kampmeinert was one of seven female firefighters in Vancouver.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Leah Hendry.
