Obituary of Mathieu Frank Michel Assie

Mathieu was predeceased by his younger brother, Joel. Remembering Mathieu are his parents, André and Ramona, his brother - Justin; Rhéal (Justine) and their children Millie, Marius, Lewis and Jolene; Blaise (Christina Mann) and his sister Avril (Steven) and their children Liv, Halle and Cambry. How do we describe Mathieu? Most of you have images, thoughts and feelings that arise when you hear his name. When you hear his name, don’t you smile? Maybe not as big of a smile as Mat usually had, but a smile, because that is what Mathieu made you do. He was happy, he was kind, he had a gentle presence, he was patient, he never complained, he never asked for anything, he worked hard, he was an attentive uncle, he made others feel at ease, he welcomed them. He loved nature and the beauty of the mountains, the water of the streams, fly fishing, deep sea fishing, the open space of the prairies, and the farm. He loved to dance - from the Banana Dance he invented as a toddler to the jive he perfected as a man. Mathieu graduated from St. Brieux School, but also attended Notre Dame for grade 8, 9 and 10 in Wilcox. After graduating, he worked fighting forest fires in Saskatchewan, while also traveling to Idaho to fight fires. He received his journeyman millwright certificate and started his own company Western Winds Services Ltd. performing contract work on power generating turbines across Western Canada, NWT, Atlantic Canada and Argentina. This lifestyle suited him, he loved the work he did and became a skilled millwright. It also allowed him to see new places and meet new people. He said the girls in Argentina were beautiful!  When he wasn’t working, you knew where he was, he was on an adventure. In the winters he was snowboarding, sledding, trekking to various backcountry huts in the mountains and mountaineering in the winters. In the spring, summer and fall he was fly fishing the Snake River, Elk River, Crowsnest Pass and many others, biking, running during the spring, summer and fall. Travelling by himself or with his brother and friends to Costa Rico, Belize, Nicaragua, Peru, Guatemala, Mexico and with his parents to visit the ancestral home in France.  Mathieu loved coming back to St. Brieux to help with seeding and harvest on the family farm. It was his time to be around family and the open space of the prairies. Mat had the best one liners on the radio, which made everyone laugh and smile. Although St. Brieux was his home, he had a base in “Revi” to be closer to the nature that brought him such joy. We will never be the same, and nor should we, we should strive to be better, to be more like Mathieu.   “Oh how we will miss you Mathieu !”

Memorial contributions in memory of Mathieu can be directed to Kid Sport P.O. Box 549 Melfort, SK S0E 1A0 and or Masses