MOORHEAD, Minn. (AP) — A man who has carried a large cross around the country the past 11 years will be remembered in a private funeral service Wednesday in Moorhead.

Chuck Johnson, who described himself as “Cross Carrier Chuck,” said it was his mission in life to carry the cross from town to town, urging people he met to get baptized. The 1980 Moorhead High School graduate was found dead of a heart attack in a hotel room in Florence, S.C., last week. He was 49 years old.

His journey is documented on the Internet by those he met, including bloggers and reporters.

Johnson’s sister, Kris Valan, tells The Forum the family arranged to have her brother’s remains cremated and returned to Moorhead.

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