Army Cpl. Ryan Sharp was six months from leaving military life behind when an improvised explosive device killed him.

Three tours with the U.S. Army were apparently enough for the 28-year-old Skyline High School graduate and father of two, his aunt, Lisa Pardonnet, said. Sharp was scheduled to finish his final tour in Afghanistan sometime in the middle of 2012, Pardonnet said.

"He was a very loving, kind, tender-hearted man," she said.

Sharp was on a mission in Afghanistan's Kandahar province when a bomb exploded near him, causing severe wounds to his legs, shoulder and head, Pardonnet said. Doctors induced a coma, she said, then transferred him to Germany for treatment.

The soldier's parents, David and Lynnette Sharp, were able to be with him in Germany -- one tiny silver lining in the cloud that hangs over the Sharp family, despite the fact that he was never conscious while they were there.

On Wednesday, Pardonnet said, a glimmer of hope emerged. The pressure in Sharp's head dropped, and there was some optimism that he could pull through. It was not to be. Later in the week, Pardonnet said, the pressure increased.

Sharp died Saturday. He left behind 8-year-old and 6-year-old daughters, as well as two brothers and two sisters. His parents will now return to Idaho Falls to face life without their son. Details as to when, where and how the funeral will take place have yet to be determined, Pardonnet said.

Mike McClendon, a strategic adviser for the Military Affairs Committee in Idaho Falls, said committee members will be involved in the planning. One possibility is a ceremony marking the arrival of Sharp's remains, McClendon said.

As she looked back on her nephew's life, Pardonnet said the Army helped Sharp bring structure when he most needed it.

"He had been a troubled boy and just needed some additional guidance," she said. "The Army was the best thing. He left a boy and came back a man."