A collection of memories from friends and family that were shared during Matt's memorial service on November 3, 2017... How one Mom always knew that Matt was over by the enormous pair of white sneakers that were left by the front door. Man! Matt had big feet. He always wore a baseball cap. I dont think Matt knew how beautiful his mess of blond hair was. How Matts sunny smile and sweet disposition will be so missed around his neighborhood. How Matt accepted everyone, that was so cool about him. How Matt was on the grade 8 Quebec trip eating a huge bowl of cereal for breakfast. The biggest I've ever seen and he enjoyed every minute of it! How Matt always made the dressing room fun, his love of Skittles (you can never have enough) and how he always had the best "hair flow" on the team! He must have got that from Amy, right Ian? How Matt delivered the Advertiser through rain, snow & sleet; chipped in 100's of golf balls down in our little park; bombing around on his bike; waiting for his drive to work at the golf course all summer at 5 am, taking ""countless"' shots on net in the driveway. How Matt thought his skates were too sharp so he slid along the cement to make them dull. When he got on the ice, he kept falling....it was a riot! How Matt went to New Orleans on Thursday, bought a pizza, filled the air pockets with Sprite and drank out of it. How I never called him Matt. He was Strachan. He was such a good guy and was so funny. How Matt came to a family barbecue for one of his parents workplaces. He didnt know any of the other kids, but immediately joined in, all curly hair, ball cap and dimples. He had a great volley ball serve. How Matt was a pleasure to coach. He always showed up to the rink with an infectious smile on his face. You always knew when he was in the dressing room; he was usually the loudest player. He kept things light for his teammates and he always had their backs. How Matt was the only person who didnt get mad at me for being happy all the time. He always said Hi! in the hallways and put his heart into everything he did. How, late one night, Matt walked a friend home when she was upset. Her dad was worried, wondering where she was. Eventually she texted home, and said she had met up with Matt. Dad said, I went from being frantic, almost hysterical to being calm and relived in an instant. Our daughter was in the company of the kind, respectful and compassionate young man that we had all known since kindergarten. We instantly knew that Matt would not only keep her safe and listen thoughtfully to her troubles but that he would also find a way to make her smile and laugh. How Matt was such a talented hockey player but even better, a true sportsman with such wonderful values. How grateful and proud a young man is to call Matt a teammate and a friend. How Matt had such passion and excitement surrounding him. When he came to daycare at Jenny and Nathans, he routinely had a plan for the day, all set. He adored our Lego room the best. There was always some wonderful structure, or great, elaborate plan he had for the days project. . . . Matt was thrilled at each new challenge, and never failed to impress us.