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Sales of a sentimental painting in memory of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, the sentry who was slain at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, have raised $75,000 for the family.

Ottawa artist Katerina Mertikas created the painting, of Cirillo and his young son, Marcus, standing guard at the memorial, not long after Cirillo was shot in the back by a would-be terrorist on Oct. 22, 2014.Copies of the painting were sold through Koyman Galleries, where Mertikas shows her work. All profits were pledged to a trust fund to help support Marcus and his family.

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Mertikas originally created the painting for an exhibition at Koyman Galleries, but when the painting was featured on the Big Beat, the artist received so much interest from readers that reproductions of the small canvas were produced and the fundraising effort for Marcus began.

Hundreds of the paintings were sold across Canada, and recently the final deposit of $25,000 was made to the trust fund, bringing the total to $75,000, Mertikas says. The fundraising program is now over, she says.