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DOUGLAS — Portions of this small Southeastern Arizona city shut down Wednesday as more than 100 mourners paid their last respects to a fallen local soldier.

Several streets were closed for more than two hours during two separate memorial services for Army Staff Sgt. Ernesto Guadalupe Cimarrusti, who was killed in Iraq on March 10.

Dozens of uniformed personnel, including Border Patrol agents, National Guard soldiers and firefighters, turned out to honor Cimarrusti along with family members, friends and other Douglas residents who wanted to show their support in this community of roughly 15,000 people about 120 miles southeast of Tucson.

Cimarrusti, 25, was a 2000 Douglas High School graduate who was serving his third tour of duty in Iraq. He was described as a quiet leader and a skilled soldier.

He had re-enlisted for another four years just two weeks before he and four other soldiers were killed by a suicide bomber inside a relatively secure section of Baghdad.

He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, based out of Fort Stewart, Ga.

He was the second soldier from Douglas to be killed in Iraq and the 34th service member with ties to Tucson or Southern Arizona to be claimed by the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

During a military memorial service for Cimarrusti held at Veterans Memorial Park, Brig. Gen. Anthony Ierardi praised Cimarrusti's bravery and compassion.

"He cared deeply for his soldiers," Ierardi said. "He asked so little and gave so much in return."

Ierardi didn't know Cimarrusti personally, but he learned about him from colleagues who knew the soldier best.

"He was an excellent tank commander," said Ierardi, who was asked to speak on behalf of the Army's command. "Never a man for long speeches, he was a quiet professional."

As Cimarrusti's casket lay beneath an F-16 fighter jet mounted above a veterans memorial, honor guards from the Army and the Border Patrol paid tribute to the fallen soldier.

Those in attendance cried as two buglers played a soft, echoing version of taps. The Army guard then folded three American flags for Cimarrusti's family.

A husband and father of a 6-year-old daughter, Cimarrusti was an accomplished disc jockey who regularly played at events and parties, relatives said. He was born in Douglas but spent part of his childhood in Cananea, Sonora, with his mother.

During a Mass for Cimarrusti before the military service, relatives and friends were asked to be thankful for the soldier's life and accomplishments.

The Rev. Gilbert Malu called on those present to serve each other as Cimarrusti had served them.

"He decided to put his life on the line to build a world of peace and justice," Malu said. "It takes people like Ernesto to fight for that."

After the ceremonies, Master Sgt. Jerold Pyle, who served with Cimarrusti in Iraq, recalled watching the soldier progress from private to sergeant.

Pyle knew immediately that Cimarrusti would make a great soldier because he learned from others' mistakes and made sure not to repeat them.

Cimarrusti also knew the value of being a team player and of working hard.

"He didn't really want the credit; he just wanted to get the job done," Pyle said. "It was my honor to serve with him."