MATTHEW KENNETH SHEWCHUK

With his beloved family by his side, Matthew Kenneth Shewchuk left this world on May 29, 2026 at 3:10 p.m. while in the Medical Intensive Care Unit at Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg, MB. It was a sudden and devastating infection that ended his young life at the age of 40. Matthew was predeceased by his grandfathers, Larry Boychuk and Nestor Shewchuk, and his dear cousin Alex Shewchuk.

Matthew is compassionately missed by his mother, Lisa Zaretzky, father, Kenneth Shewchuk, younger brother, Daniel Shewchuk, sister-in-law Amanda Shewchuk, his beautiful niece, Natalie, and adorable nephew, Parker, and little sister, Elizabeth Shewchuk, brother-in-law Graeme Okurley. Matthew will be lovingly missed by his grandparents; Lydia Boychuk, Nettie Shewchuk, and Theodore and Linda Zaretzky. Matthew has numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, and other extended family and friends that are sharing our grief and in the huge joy of having Matthew in their lives.

Matthew was born in Dauphin General Hospital on December 20th, 1985. He was the first-born child of Ken and Lisa, and he shared the same birthday with his father. He was the first grandchild on the Zaretzky side and was cherished by his entire family. He spent the first five years of his life in Garland, MB, the birthplace of the Shewchuk’s. Matthew connected closely with the local children and neighbours of the village and even experienced beekeeping with the older couple across the street, the Yarworski’s. Matthew attended his first year of elementary school in Ethelbert, MB. In September of 1990, Matthew was joined by his baby brother, Daniel, who he adored and immediately became the big brother that he was always meant to be. In 1990, Lisa and the children moved to Winnipeg, MB for Lisa to begin Pharmacy School at the University of Manitoba. Matthew’s joy soon doubled with the arrival of his baby sister, Elizabeth, who was born in March of 1992. These were very happy days for Matthew as he became leader and protector of Dan and Lizzy. On occasion, Matt joined his mother on campus for lectures, and he was a highlight with the students with his ever-present “Where’s Waldo” book. In 1997, the family moved to Brandon, MB where Matthew attended both Linden Lanes Elementary and L’ecole Harrison Middle School. It was during this time in Brandon, where Matthew began his passion for art and woodworking, participated in Cubs and Beavers, and completed a babysitter training course so that he could legally watch over his brother and sister. Matthew, as the oldest sibling, took on natural responsibility and immense joy in caring for Dan and Lizzy.

In 1999, Matthew and the family moved to Schanzenfeld, a small village outside of Winkler, MB, where Matthew finished off Grade eight and later graduated from Garden Valley Collegiate in 2003. During high school, Matt fostered lasting friendships that maintained throughout his life and where he continued his love for the arts and even produced a movie with his friends. Matthew attended many different schools throughout his life – and reminded us regularly of his versatile educational experience. As a result, Matthew developed friendships with people from all walks of life. He was so flexible and patient. Matthew was a multifaceted and creative person. Matt loved gaming and comics. Matthew appreciated a wide variety of music but was most passionate about metal and rock. Despite Matt’s grunts and groans, he was super helpful around the house, completing many chores and making his famous spaghetti and meat sauce.

After high school, he got a job working at Pizza Hut in Winkler, a job he returned to a few times in his life, which he once referred to as a love-hate relationship. The family moved to Morden, MB in 2004, where Matthew got to experience farm living and to return to some of his beekeeping “skills”. In 2005, with much encouragement from his mother, he attended Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) in Winnipeg, MB, where he got to experience living in residence, which if you know Matt you know this was huge as he likes his personal space. During that time, Matt regularly expressed his dislike of the exclusivity and narrowness of religious institutions, but he recently reflected on some fond memories of his time at CMU. Matthew talked about his love for learning and desire to go back to school one day. In 2006, he returned to Morden, to live and work locally, again at Pizza Hut, Minnewasta Golf Club, DeFehr Furniture and the North American Box Co. He took pride in his work and was appreciated by his employers. Once at the box factory, Matt went to great lengths to educate his loved ones on how the worldly transportation of goods relied on his custom-made specialty corrugated products. Shortly after that, he joined the trailer park boys and purchased a trailer on the North end of Morden.

In 2012, after expressing a further desire to return to the arts and after much coaching from his mother, Matthew moved in with his sister Liz, to attend the Academy of Broadcasting in Winnipeg, where he excelled and was top of his class. Later, he completed an internship in Swan River with CJSB 104.5 - the Voice of the Valley radio station. Although Matthew desired a career in broadcasting he had standards, and refused to leave the province, to live in a “hick town”, or to leave his family. Matthew lived alone but had a tight-knit social circle that was difficult to part with and a need to be near family. It was during this job search that Matt also found another love-hate relationship with teaching and started a job at Ecole Morden Middle School as an Educational Assistant in their computer lab. While Matthew complained a lot about the challenges with the kids in their never-ending Minecraft questions, he did enjoy the teaching opportunity, and the students appreciated his guidance and humour. In 2018, Matt began working for his mom in her pharmacy, Apothecary of Morden, as a receptionist, until the end of 2024. Matthew developed a lot of personal connections to the Apothecary patients and was a welcoming spirit for those who entered the store. He was the hub and anchor of the Apothecary beyond what he really knew. Recently, he began working at Valley Fibre in the Customer Service Centre, in Winkler, where he really fine-tuned his communication skills. The management team at Valley Fibre shared with our family that he was an amazing asset to their team and brought a calming presence to the workplace.

Matthew had a gentle spirit but was not afraid to speak his mind with the people who were in his close circle. He was calm, sensitive, methodical in his moves. He had a witty, sarcastic sense of humour that sometimes drove us crazy. His insight was unique and even a little scary at times, that he could really “see” people. Matthew’s vision always went beyond the exterior presentation. He valued raw honesty and spaces to share being real. In 2021 he was asked to step out of his shell and into the spotlight, to act as the officiant at Daniel and Amanda’s wedding. While hesitant at first, he did not want to let his little brother down, so he accepted and did an amazing job. As the saying goes, good work brings more work, and so Matt was again recruited in 2023 to do the same for Liz and Graeme’s wedding; this time in front of a much larger crowd. On both occasions Matt delivered a flawless presentation, blending in his experiences growing up with Dan and Liz, while still mixing in his own unique sense of humor. Although he struggled with his health over the years, he was actively trying his best to improve. Matthew was the best ever “Uncle Matt” to his niece and nephew and had a special relationship with Natalie and Parker. The memory of Uncle Matt will live on forever.

We have many fond memories of family vacations to Drumheller, Banff, Vancouver, Toronto, Niagara Falls, Disneyland, Arizona, Chicago, the Mall of America, Appleton, Black Hills, and annual camping trips to Wellman Lake. Recently, Matt enjoyed making tie dyed shirts, custom greeting cards, cooking, spending time with friends, attending Comiccons, and heavy metal concerts.

As a family, we would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the numerous people who helped Matthew with his healthcare over the years, especially the ongoing care at Boundary Trails Health Centre, Menzies Medical Centre, and the medical staff in the final days at Health Science Centre Medical ICU. Thank you to extended family, friends, and colleagues of our dear Matthew; and the joy you brought to Matt’s life. Your presence, kind words, and thoughtful gestures have brought great comfort to our family during this difficult time; comfort that will sustain us in the months and years to follow. We appreciate all the support that the management team of Valley Fibre offered Matthew during his time there and the support provided to our family in the past few days.

A celebration of life service will be held on Saturday, July 4th at 11:00 a.m. at the Access Event Centre, 111D Gilmour St. Morden, MB. Matt was not a formal person; therefore, formal dress is not required.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations may be made on the behalf of Matthew to a charity of your choice or to Wellman Lake United Church Camp. While Matthew never attended the camp, it was a frequent venue for family gatherings and was a meaningful place for him and the family. -Charity Link:      https://wellmanlakeuccamp.ca/index.php/donate/