Photo: The Canadian Press

UPDATED: 11:24 a.m.

Former Alberta premier Jim Prentice was remembered by his daughter Friday as deeply thoughtful, generous and a man of great humility.

Cassia Prentice spoke at the state memorial for Prentice, 60, who was killed in a plane crash earlier this month in British Columbia.

"My father was so much to so many and he was absolutely everything to our family," she told 1,500 politicians, business colleagues, friends and members of the public gathered at the Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary.

She reminded everyone that his life and accomplishments were based on "a pledge to his parents — one of integrity, kindness, hard work and community.

"Those principles and the man who embodied them were bedrock to our family," said Prentice, who also lost her father-in-law, optometrist Ken Gellatly in the crash.

She said Prentice was a doting father, treasured his grandchildren and loved his wife, Karen, deeply.

"I am still not ready to say goodbye to my father, to our bedrock. But because my father cared so deeply about this country, this province and the people in it, we know that we do not grieve alone.

"Broken and shattered, we must all today stand tall on the foundations he laid ... most importantly the love of family."

Federal and provincial politicians attended the memorial. Speakers included Lt.-Gov. Lois Mitchell, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley and former prime minister Stephen Harper. Prentice served in Harper's cabinet and Harper remembered him as gracious, capable and never unpleasant to his colleagues.

"We gave the hardest assignments to the people who could best handle them, and Jim was always one of those people," said Harper.

"He always gave Canada and Alberta his very best. That is how is deserves to be remembered."

ORIGINAL: 6:57 a.m.

A state memorial service will be held in Calgary today for former Alberta premier Jim Prentice, who was killed in a plane crash earlier this month near Kelowna.

Prentice, who was 60, and three other men were killed when a twin-engine Cessna Citation crashed shortly after takeoff from Kelowna airport on Oct. 13.

A wide range of federal and provincial politicians, as well as business colleagues of Prentice, are expected to attend the service which will include comments from former prime minister Stephen Harper.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley will also speak at the service, along with Alberta Lt.-Gov. Lois Mitchell.

The memorial will include an aboriginal honour song performed by members of the Black Otter Singers and the singing of Amazing Grace by country artist George Canyon.

"It will be a celebration and tribute to the life of Jim Prentice and what he contributed to both Alberta and Canada," said family friend Jason Hatcher.

"We are going to have a number of tributes by folks that worked with Jim but also became close friends of he and Karen."

Prentice, a former cabinet minister under Harper, had stepped aside from public life before entering provincial politics to take over the leadership of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party.

His final foray in the public arena as Alberta premier lasted about eight months and, in May 2015, led to the toppling of a PC party that had governed Alberta for more than four decades.

"Jim was a man who truly followed his convictions. He felt the call to serve for every success that he had in his own life. He saw that as an obligation to give back," said Hatcher.

Also killed in the crash were optometrist Ken Gellatly, the father-in-law of one of Prentice's daughters, Calgary businessman Sheldon Reid and former RCMP officer Jim Kruk, who was the pilot of the aircraft.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.