Matt Pearce has been remembered as ‘a giant of a man’…
One of the city’s best homegrown athletes, Pearce played seven years for the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers and won a Grey Cup in 1990, before returning to Prince George to raise his family, teach, and coach. The 48-year-old passed away unexpectedly last Saturday.
Today, approximately 500 people packed the Westwood Church to pay tribute to a man described as a passionate leader and teacher – someone who was ‘engaged, animated, looking forward, and always moving.’
Longtime friend, Kent Jomha, delivered the eulogy, describing being being struck by Pearce’s ‘super-big’ personality during their first days in grade four together at Foothills Elementary.
The two became fast friends and Jomha took some credit for Pearce’s CFL career because he had been the first to play football. He joked that Pearce thought, “Kent’s doing this sport and he’s doing okay, it’s gotta be pretty easy, I think I can do it.”
Jomha attributed much of Pearce’s strong drive and determination to his parents, Ross and Eileen. “When I watched Matt in sports and in school – and in anything he did – I was always amazed by the effort he gave.”
He said everything came naturally to Pearce, but he never stopped striving to improve. “Matt was born to be a teacher and he was born to be a leader – these were his gifts and he used them in the classroom, but also in his everyday life, constantly.”
Pearce left the classroom to serve a two-year stint as President of the Prince George and District Teachers Association in 2011. Colleague, Tina Cousins, said he was a hero and symbol of strength to teachers, serving as a ‘strong, credible, and passionate voice’ for public education.
“When I became president, I remember saying that my size 7 feet were not going to fit his shoes, ” she said. “And now, with his loss, filling Matt’s shoes will take all of us.”
Fellow teacher and family friend, Al Erricson, wore a bright red golf shirt to the memorial to honour the way Pearce stood out from a crowd. Erricson said he was supposed to speak about his friend’s role in community sports, but said it was Pearce’s character that set him apart from others in his many roles…
“How does a man slip into so many lives and become a genuine friend, a formidable opponent, a rock solid teammate, a colleague, a keeper of the rules, a trusted leader, a respected son, a caring brother, a devoted father, a loving husband?”
“ I’m going to venture to say: by making all you do positive, passionate, and sincere.”
“Matt did this one encounter, one smile, one practical joke, one class, one practise, one race, one game, one meeting, one rally, one pot of tea while marking with the love of his life, one day at a time. It’s a choice he made to love, live and laugh always.”
As a lasting tribute, Pearce’s family – his wife, Sherrie, daughter Tenley, and son, Colburn – have established the Matt Pearce Memorial Fund to provide support to Prince George high school students in the form of scholarships and bursaries. (Contributions can be made at www.vancouverfoundation.ca/mattpearce)
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