'You will always have my love'

SPANAWAY, Wash. -- Grief-stricken family and friends of the local man who died when his fishing boat sank earlier this month packed a church on Friday to pay tribute.

Josh Leonguerrero was on his first fishing trip in Alaska when the Katmai sank, killing him and six of his crew members.

At his funeral, those who knew Leonguerrero recalled how the 19 year old had dreamed of fishing in Alaska for years. Family members said he had fishing in his blood, always heading out with cousins and friends to ply the waters of nearby rivers, lakes and Puget Sound.

Even though they knew he had died while chasing after his dream, those who loved Leonguerrero had a hard time letting him go.

"You were the band-aid that would mend. You were that pillow at night. You were that breath that kept me alive. You were that blood that pumped into my heart," said fiance Sheree Gardinier.

Florence Leonguerrero, Josh's mother, recalled the time her son was given his first fishing pole.

"You had the biggest smile on your face," she said.

In a previous interview, Florence told KOMO News she will always remember the day Josh left for his fishing trip, the last time she saw him.

"He went through the security and looked back at us, and gave the biggest smile," she said "That was the last time I've ever seen him. His smile will always be in my heart, in my every day when I start thinking of him, I can picture that smile when he looked back at me."

At his funeral, the tearful mother bid farewell to her beloved son.

"So today, son, your dad and I have to let you go again. And this time I know you won't be coming back," she said.

As a special tribute, those who attended the memorial vividly honored the fisherman, surrounding him in a sea of red, his favorite color.

"You will always have my love. You will always be my honey. And you will always be my eternity," said Gardiner.

The Coast Guard said the investigators trying to determine why a fishing vessel sank in the Bering Sea are looking at a similar ship in Seattle.

A spokesman, Petty Officer Jeff Pollinger, said Friday's visit to a ship at Fishermen's Terminal should give investigators a better understanding of the design and layout of the Katmai.

He said on Monday the Marine Board of Investigation will continue a hearing in Seattle that began earlier this week in Anchorage.