The family of Peter Hester in the Cree community of Waskaganish, Que., is preparing a funeral service after an Ontario coroner confirmed this week that a skull found two years ago belonged to the missing man.

In 1979, Hester was on his way to Ontario by boat when it capsized. His friend Billy Shecapio survived the accident, but has since died. Hester's body was not recovered.

A group of Waskaganish hunters came across a human skull while hunting at the East Point camp on the Ontario side of James Bay in May 2013, according to a news release issued by the Waskaganish detachment of the Eeyou Eenou Police Force.

Ontario Provincial Police sent the skull to the Ontario coroner's office for identification. After eliminating all possible connections between other missing people and the skull, the coroner's office asked Hester's children to provide DNA samples this summer.

An Ontario coroner's report released on Tuesday says DNA tests confirm the skull was that of Peter Hester.

Charles J. Hester, whose wife is Peter's daughter, wrote on Facebook: "After 35 years of waiting and wondering if they will ever know what really happened to their dad, they now can finally have closure. "