Several thousand people gathered to attend the funeral for Constable Robin Cameron Friday, one of two Saskatchewan Mounties who died last weekend from gunshot wounds.

"The number of friends she made over the years was not clear until today," the slain officer's aunt, Ivy Cameron, told the crowded arena where the service was held.

Aboriginal chiefs, politicians and RCMP officers travelled from across the country to pay their last respects to the single mother, who leaves behind an 11-year-old daughter, Shayne.

"Shayne was her world, and one day her little girl will see how much mommy loved her," Cameron's aunt said.

Many in the crowd were brought to tears when Cameron's sister, Diana Laliberte, read a letter Shayne had written while her mother was still on life support.

"I know you'll be there for me, you'll see me graduate, have my own kids and my daughter will be named Robin to know that her grandma was a hero," the letter read.

Cameron, 29, and her partner, Const. Marc Bourdages, 26, were shot after confronting a suspect on July 7 near Spiritwood, Sask.

They were both taken to hospital with severe head injuries, and remained in critical condition before dying on July 15, within hours of each other.

Among the dignitaries who spoke at the service were Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, Saskatchewan Premier Lorne Calvert and Chief Ken Thomas.

Thomas praised Cameron for uniting the RCMP and the First Nations community.

"We prayed that we would have an officer be sent to our community who could help us build bridges between the RCMP police force and our community," he said.

Her family described her as someone who loved her job, brought families together and had a sense of humour.

"More than anything to me, she made us proud," Cameron's uncle Dennis Gamble said.

Much like the four-day wake, the funeral was a blend of aboriginal and RCMP traditions, and included a strong Mountie presence.

On Tuesday, Cameron's body arrived at her home reserve, the Beardy's and Okemasis First Nation, near Duck Lake, Sask. -- about 90 kilometres north of Saskatoon.

That night, about 200 people attended the emotional wake, held in the hockey arena at the reserve.

Cameron's mother, Denise, could be heard sobbing during the service, which included traditional singing and drumming.

The family has strong ties to the RCMP.

Cameron's father, Howard, and uncle, Ernie Cameron, were also Mounties.

"She pursued her dream -- a little girl's dream -- to be a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police," her aunt said.

The RCMP had originally turned her down when she first applied because of her poor eyesight.

Unwilling to give up on her dream job, Cameron underwent laser eye surgery and completed two years of university in order to be accepted.

The four-day wake continued until Friday's funeral.

On July 25, a ceremonial funeral will be held for Bourdages at the RCMP Training Academy in Regina.

That will be followed by a private ceremony in his hometown, Saint-Eustache, Que., where he will be buried.

Bourdages leaves behind a wife and nine-month-old son.

The shootings sparked an intense manhunt for the prime suspect in the shooting -- Curtis Alfred Dagenais, 41.

Police were unsuccessful, however, and Dagenais eventually surrendered early this week, just a few days after the officers died.

He is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, in the deaths of Cameron and Bourdages.

Dagenais is also facing an attempted murder charge for shooting at a third Mountie, who was uninjured.