Mark Stets Jr., one of three U.S. Special Operations soldiers killed by a bomb blast in Pakistan

on Wednesday, comes from a family that lived in Lewiston, and he still has relatives in

Western New York.

Stets, 39, a staff sergeant stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C., was killed when

a roadside bomb detonated near a school for girls.

"There will always be a hole in my heart, and I'm sure in Nancy's heart," his father, Mark

Stets Sr. told WVEC-TV in Virginia Beach, Va., about how he and his wife feel about their

son's death.

Mark Stets Sr. was born in Lewiston and moved to Virginia Beach after serving in the Navy.

His parents, Karl and Mary Stets, died in the 1990s.

"He was a committed military guy," said his uncle, Eric P. Stets of West Seneca. "He was in

the Navy. When he got out, he enlisted in the Army."

Mark Stets Jr., who grew up in Virginia Beach, visited his grandparents during summers

while he was young.

"We would see him occasionally," Eric Stets said of his nephew. "I started to develop a

relationship with him lately, because we're both motorcycle enthusiasts."

Eric Stets said they had planned to get together for a ride on their Harley-Davidsons after

his nephew's current tour was over in June.

Mark Stets Jr. is survived by his wife and three children, along with his parents. He also

has an aunt still living in Lewiston, Mary Ann May.