They lined overpasses as hearse carrying his casket made its way from Toronto to Blenheim down Highway of Heroes

The body of volunteer fighter was repatriated to southern Ontario on Friday

John Gallagher, 32, a former Canadian solider died on November 4 while fighting alongside Kurdish forces in Syria

Moving scenes were captured on Friday as the body of a volunteer Canadian fighter who was killed in Syria was returned back to his hometown in southern Ontario.

During the repatriation, a roadside memorial was held for John Robert Gallagher, 32, a former Canadian soldier who died while fighting against the Islamic State earlier this month, CBC News reported.

Hundreds including firefighters, the local police force and supporters came out to pay their respects, as they lined overpasses while a hearse carrying Gallagher's casket made its way along a major highway in Ontario known as the Highway of Heroes.

Scroll down for video

People pay their respects to John Gallagher on an overpass where his hearse passed through in London, Ontario on Friday

Hundreds came out to pay their respects, as they lined overpasses while a hearse carrying Gallagher's casket made its way along a major highway in Ontario, Canada known as the Highway of Heroes

Above Gallagher's mother, Valerie Carder (left) and sisters Lily and Erin step away from his casket in Toronto

His family is seen pictured above as pallbearers carry Gallagher's casket into a funeral home in Blenheim following the procession down Highway 401 on Friday

Gallagher's mother comforts her two children during the emotional ceremony on Friday

Gallagher (pictured left and right) is reportedly the first Canadian volunteer who has died while fighting alongside Kurdish forces. He left for Iraq in April and fought with the Iraqi peshmerga before making his way to Syria to join the Kurdish People's Protection Group (YPG)

During the procession, Canadian flags were seen waiving in the air and signs were held up with messages that said You're My Hero and Thank You as people paid their condolences.

The hearse was escorted by the Toronto police as it traveled along the highway with a Toronto from a funeral home in Toronto to Blenheim on Friday afternoon, according to CTV News.

The roadside memorial on Highway 401 honoring Gallagher - who is reportedly the first Canadian volunteer who has died while fighting alongside Kurdish forces - was organized by volunteers from the Canadian Heroes Foundation.

His mother, Valerie Carder, was overwhelmed by everyone who came out to honor her son during his homecoming.

'We're very, very touched and we want to thank everyone very much,' she told CTV News.

'It's such an honor for my son, and I hope that it can do some good in terms of bringing awareness to the situation that he went to try and help.'

On Friday, a wreath laying ceremony was held at a Toronto funeral home before Gallagher's casket was transported to a funeral home in Blenheim, where a private ceremony was held.

His family was seen during the emotional homecoming as his casket arrived in Bleinheim and was carried in by pallbearers.

'It's so touching even just to see the lone people who have stopped in fields or have their hats to their hearts,' Gallagher's brother wrote on social media during the end of the procession.

'There are people wrapped in blankets in Chatham-Kent who have been waiting all day. For us. For John.'

Gallagher was reportedly shot at close range during an ISIS attack on November 4.

During the procession, Canadian flags were seen waiving in the air and signs were held up with messages that said You're My Hero and Thank You as people paid their condolences

The hearse was escorted by the Toronto police as it traveled along the highway with a Toronto from a funeral home in Toronto to Blenheim on Friday afternoon

Hundreds of supporters line an overpass near London, Ontario on Friday as they await the procession

A woman and child stand by a decorated car with a sign that reads 'Honored to know you sacrificed freely'

Members of the Kurdish community hold pictures of Gallagher in Toronto on Friday

Lining an overpass, a young girl is seen holding a sing that reads 'Thak (sic) you' as she waits for the procession to begin

According to an autopsy at the Al-Malikiyah international hospital, Gallagher was found with a 9mm bullet wound in his right lower abdomen, the National Post reported.

The bullet had struck an artery and his cause of death was determined as 'bleeding due to an injury of gunshot,' according to the National Post.

'Kurds consider him a hero,' said Dojan Dojan, a Kurdish-Canadian. 'He's a Kurdish martyr and he is one of us.'

Gallagher previously served in the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry before leaving the Canadian Forces in 2005, according to the National Post.

He left for Iraq in April and fought with the Iraqi peshmerga before making his way to Syria to join the Kurdish People's Protection Group (YPG).

Gallagher was reportedly one of about 12 Canadian volunteers fighting the Islamic State on the front lines.

Gallagher's family members hug in front of the casket holding his body

Firefighters salute the hearse carrying Gallagher as it is returned to his hometown of Blenheim, Ontario

Firefighters and others who came out to pay their respects to Gallagher are seen standing on an overpass as the hearse passes down the highway

Pallbearers carry the casket of Gallagher as his mother Valerie Carder and sister Lily Gallagher look on

An emotional woman lies her head on Gallagher's casket as she pays her respects to him at a Blenheim funeral

He had written in an essay explaining that he had decided to fight with the Kurdish because he felt that it was his duty to oppose the theocratic movements like the Islamic State, according to the National Post.

'Slavery, fascism, and communism were all bad ideas which required costly sacrifice before they were finally destroyed. In our time, we have a new bad idea: Theocracy,' Gallagher wrote.

'We are all on the front lines of this conflict, whether we know it or not.'

On November 12, fellow YPG fighters held a funeral for Gallagher in Hasaka, Syria before his body was transported to Erbil in Iraq.

His body was then flown to Amman, Jordan for repatriation flights to Montreal and finally Toronto, according to the National Post.

Gallagher (pictured) was reportedly one of about 12 Canadian volunteers fighting the Islamic State on the front lines.

On November 12, fellow YPG fighters held a funeral for Gallagher in Hasaka, Syria before his body was transported to Erbil in Iraq

YPG fighters drive towards the Iraqi border with the coffin of Gallagher during his funeral in Hasaka, Syria November 12

The Department of Defense was not involved in Gallagher's repatriation because he was not an serving member of the Canadian Forces, CBC News reported.

'This I think has been driven by what Canadians think is appropriate,' his mother said of the repatriation.

'I'm certainly honored that is so. I certainly hope that no one feels it takes away from the fallen soldiers of the Canadian military.'