In the aftermath of his younger brother's sudden death last year, Allan Oliver says he was surprised when a family friend set up a GoFundMe to help pay for the funeral.

"My first thought was like, 'Wow, I can't believe someone would do this for our family,' " Oliver told CBC News.

His brother, Aidan, a well-known figure in their community of Shelburne, Ont., was just 23 years old when he died after a medical episode on Oct. 30.

Oliver watched as donations from the community poured in — eventually, more than $15,000 was raised. He says his family then planned a larger funeral to make sure everyone could pay their respects.

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"Through this fundraiser, there were hundreds of people helping us through it," he said. "And that was just really comforting."

Those feelings of comf

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