Obituary of Matt Fischer

Mathias “Matt” Fischer was born September 20th, 1934 on a land location near Cosine, Saskatchewan. He was the third of 14 children born to Joe and Odilia Fischer.

Dad grew up on a farm and was not afraid of work from the very beginning. He left home early and worked in Edmonton, Battleford and Wilkie areas doing various jobs before returning to the Cactus Lake area, where he returned to his true love - farming.

Dad met Ursula Graf while she was teaching at Barryville School and boarding with Uncle Stanley and Aunt Annie. They both worked and lived in Edmonton for a short time before returning home.

They were married on June 10, 1958 and began their life together on a farm near Cactus Lake. Matt and Ursula had 6 children, three boys and three girls,  which eventually led to the addition of 17 grandchildren and 5 great grand children.

Community and church were a huge part of their lives, which created many lasting friendships and memories.

Along with farming, Dad absolutely loved his garden and took pride and joy in having the biggest, earliest ripening tomatoes every year. His children and grandchildren relied on his advice in all things green. He was always full of pranks and mischief. Whether goofing around with the grand kids, pretending to be a bear at the lake or a ghost in the pasture, he was always on duty with the wry smile and hearty laugh. All his children and grand children have many happy and fun memories of him. In his later years, nothing brightened his days more than his grandchildren and great grandchildren, whether in person or phone calls and videos.

Mom and Dad retired to Macklin, but farming remained a huge part of his life, although he did become a regular on coffee row.

Dad was Mom's main support and caregiver throughout her battle with cancer. Dad's purpose in life changed significantly following Mom's death in 2015.

Dad remained in his Macklin home through the covid years, until his move to the Villa. His health declined shortly after his move to the Villa and he relocated to the Provost Health Centre where he remained until his passing, surrounded by his family, in the early morning hours on August 19, 2024.

He will be forever missed and lovingly remembered by his children, Anita (Don) Janzen, Elaine (Gary) Marceniuk, Gary (Tammy) Fischer, Terry (Donna) Fischer, Karen (Rene) Ollenberger, and Kevin (Myrna) Fischer; grandchildren, Brandon (Teigan), Mathew (Tanis), Katelyn, Ryan (Paige), Brittany, Tyler, Justin (Nicolette), Logan (Brittany), Nathan, Chelsey, Braden (Tori), Spencer (Lisa), Dylan, Alyssa (Brody), Cassidy, Kirsten, and Rhett; great grandchildren, Kendall, Kinley, Jacob, Clementine, and Emma; brothers, Jack (Rosalia), Adam (Celeste), Larry (Celine), Henry (Gwen), and Paul; sisters, Vera (Seb) Stang, Rita (Fred) Sieben, and Lucille (Len) Solick; brother in law, Ed Reiter; sister in law, Rose Fischer; as well as numerous other relatives and friends.

Matt was predeceased by his wife, Ursula (2015); and his brothers and sisters, Tillie (Lambert), George, Jerome, Elizabeth, and Stanley.

A funeral mass for Matt will be held on Friday, August 23, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Macklin, Saskatchewan with Father Thekkekulam officiating. For those planning to attend, there will be a slideshow of memories played at 9:45 a.m. For those unable to attend, Matt's service will be livestreamed. The livestream will be available here on the GFH website under Matt's obituary at the time of the service. Interment will follow at the Lakeview Cemetery in Macklin, Saskatchewan.