Obituary of Matt Schubert

Matt Schubert M.D. F.R.C.S.

13/02/59-21/03/23

     With great anguish we announce the sudden passing of Dr. Matt Schubert, an incredible husband, father, physician and friend. He is survived by his wife Patrice Pollock, their daughter Annie (Bryce) and son Alexander, his daughter Debra (Huda, Acia, Rayan) and his son Ben (Sheena, Hazel, Jo), father Josef, brothers Jon (Elizabeth), Mike (Georgina), Jeremy, brother in law James (Pablo) and numerous nieces and nephews.

     He was predeceased by his mother Monica. Born in Haifa, Israel, at age two travelled (by airplane) to Liverpool where he frolicked in short pants in the chilly Lake Country with his brothers. At age nine they travelled by boat to Canada, final destination Regina. Jobs as a life guard at Cypress Hills, the paint factory, IPSCO and a salt mine preceded entry into medical school at the University of Saskatchewan. He graduated from the College of Medicine Class of ‘89 with Patrice. He interned at Saskatoon City Hospital and then completed residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the U of S in 1994. He began his practice with Wall Street Obstetrics and Gynecology which he loved. He loved teaching and enjoyed working with all levels of medical trainees and nursing staff. He was Residency Training Program Director and received the PAIRS Excellence in Residency Teaching Award and the Tom MacLachlan Clinical Teaching Award. He was recently Saskatoon Area Department Lead of Gynecology. He was very proud of his work in the development of the Saskatoon Early Pregnancy Assessment Clinic. In addition to his administrative, teaching and clinical commitments in Saskatoon, he was deeply invested in the provision of equitable gynecologic care to the entire province and had regular clinics and operating time in Humboldt and more recently, in Meadow Lake. These provided some of the most gratifying work experiences of his life and he particularly loved his Meadow Lake adventures. He remembered quirky details about everyone he met. When you talked to Matti you knew he was listening because he truly cared.

     Matti had a zest for learning and encyclopedic knowledge like no other. He loved aviation, military and world history, geography, astronomy, Jeopardy, James Bond, Jack Reacher, binoculars, darts, telescopes, drones, compasses, The Beatles, Roughrider Football, Lego figurines, crosswords, shoe polishing, knife sharpening, his closet and office dioramas, milk chocolate and Marmite. He loved fixing and repairing things for everyone and maintaining the neighborhood rink in his high-vis gear. He wore Merino wool long underwear all year. He loved adventure walking with Patrice through back alleys. He loved Chitek Lake with the Blushkes and anything Woobert. Most of all, he loved his family, and let us know every single day with his words and deeds. He took such good care of us all. His work gave him joy to the end. His last delivery was only hours before he died. He had so much life and love left to give – taken much too soon.

     Thank you to all our dear friends, colleagues and our office family who have rallied around us. In lieu of flowers, please consider donation to Heart and Stroke Canada. Matt's Funeral will take place at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 1, 2023, at Saskatoon Funeral Home, reception to follow.  Live-streaming of the service can be accessed by clicking on the link above. The service will go live approx 5-10 minutes before 2:00 p.m. on April 1.