AUBURN, Wash. -- Hundreds of people gathered on Saturday to mourn the death of the man who made innovations in capturing and caring for our state's wildlife.

State biologist Rocky Spencer died last weekend in a helicopter accident in eastern Washington. He was 55.

Spencer was a dangerous job, but one he would not have changed.

Spencer tracked cougars and captured bears. His life was an adventure and one he shared with anyone who wanted to learn about wildlife.

With his Karelian bear dog, Mishka, he pioneered the use of dogs in our state in wildlife management.

Spencer made other innovations, too, and hundreds of friends along the way.

"Rocky spencer is, for me, a truly great human being. One in a million, one in a lifetime," said Carrie Hunt with the Wind River Bear Institute. "Everybody has to die. But some never live. Rocky lived."

That adventurous life extended beyond the job and into his personal life. During one vacation, Spencer dove a Spanish shipwreck off the island of Rota northwest of Guam.

But friends say what mattered most to Spencer was beyond the adrenaline of the rushing moment; he wanted to teach the rest of us respect for wildlife. One of the best ways was by reaching out to young people and making a difference in their lives.

"I know I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for Rocky's guidance," a young man said at the ceremony.

"Without their guidance in my life I would've stayed a juvenile delinquent, for God knows how long," said Britney Buckingham.

"When you think about Rocky spencer, think about the experiences you hold with him, really what Rocky stood for," said Rich Beausoleil, a wildlife biologist. "And for the contributions he made to wildlife, to the department, to the community and definitely to education."

Spencer was one of the select few in the country to be considered an expert at net-gunning big game from the side of a helicopter.

It's the work he was doing when he died.

In addition to the family members, friends and hundreds of fish and wildlife workers who attended the funeral, people who spoke at the service included a man who fixed antennas on Rocky's truck, Mishka's veterinarian and Seahawks season ticket holders who sat around him.