Several hundred mourners filled a Scarborough church on Saturday to pay their final respects to former Toronto police chief Jack Marks, who died of cancer at his Pickering home on Tuesday.

The well-liked "old school" cop was remembered as a hardworking officer who helped modernize the police force by shifting focus onto promoting community policing rather than hunting criminals.

Among those in attendance were current Chief Bill Blair and former chiefs William McCormack and Julian Fantino, who is now the commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police.

Blair called Marks a great chief who had integrity but could be intense at times.

"When Jack called you, you went, and he was very organized and knew exactly how things wanted to be," Blair said.

"I think the legacy of Jack Marks was the discipline that he very, very much upheld for the force and the example of his leadership as chief," added McCormack.

Mayor David Miller and Community Safety Minister Monte Kwinter were among the dignitaries who mourned the loss inside St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church.

"He started the process of adapting to Toronto's diversity ... and he's left a tremendous legacy," Miller said.

Marks, who recently turned 80, rose through the ranks to lead the police force from 1984 to 1989.

He is credited with hiring more than 200 women and minorities during his final three years at the helm in an attempt to reflect the city's diverse population.

Marks was born in east-end Toronto and served in the Royal Canadian Artillery during World War II. He was an electrician before he became an officer in 1951.

Throughout his years as a police officer, and after his retirement, Marks participated in several charities. His favourite was the Bobby Orr Skate-a-Thon for Easter Seals, a Toronto police press release stated.

Marks also helped raised $1 million for Variety Village through the annual RIDE program.

He was a non-smoker but worked in a factory where they used asbestos before he joined the police force. Doctors speculated that was the cause of his cancer.

Marks leaves behind his wife Joyce and children Karen, John and Scott.

With a report from CTV's Alex Mihailovich