GAASENBEEK III, Matthew It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Matthew Gaasenbeek III on October 29, 2020 at the Village of Humber Heights in Etobicoke.
Matthew is survived by Dai, his loving wife of 65 years, and their children Karen and her husband Dr. Christopher Cobourn, Joanna and her husband Scott Barker and Matt Gaasenbeek and his wife Francine. He was a devoted grandfather to Adam (Jaclyn) Cobourn, Sarah (Cameron) Chapman, Jeffrey (Kendra) Cobourn, Leah Barker, Douglas Barker, Victoria Gaasenbeek and Madeline Gaasenbeek. Loving great-grandfather of Anna Cobourn, Julia Cobourn and Katherine Chapman. Matthew was predeceased by his sister, Fiet Byers and her husband Milford Byers, his sister Miek Gaasenbeek, and his brother Dick Gaasenbeek.
He leaves behind Joan Gaasenbeek (wife of Dick) and his siblings Len (Alma) Gaasenbeek, Henk (Donna) Gaasenbeek, Martha (Douglas) Goodier, Peter (Irene) Gaasenbeek and Frank (Sandra) Gaasenbeek. He will be lovingly remembered by his large family and many friends. Matthew was born February 27, 1930 in Bloemendaal, Holland. After the Second World War, he immigrated to Canada in June 1948, proud to become a Canadian. He graduated from what is now the Ivey Business School at Western University in 1956 and went on to a long and successful career in investment banking and management consulting. As an investment banker he was a trusted advisor to many clients and took the responsibility of allocating capital to companies very seriously. He sat on many public and private boards and prided himself on helping entrepreneurs and young people. Matthew devoted much of his life to his volunteer and philanthropic activities. He was an Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel of the Grey & Simcoe Foresters Regiment, Past Prior of the Priory of St. James Knights Templar International OSMTH, Past President of the Royal Canadian Military Institute and one of the early Presidents of the Federation of Ontario Naturalists (now Ontario Nature) to mention just a few.
When asked what his biggest achievement was in life, outside of his family, many are surprised to learn that it was the over 50,000 trees he helped to plant at the family farm in Flesherton, Ontario. He had a deep love for nature and devoted large amounts of time to caring for the land and the various birds and animals he had at the farm over the years. Matthew and his wife Dai were the ultimate hosts, always happy to welcome a wide circle of family and friends for meals and parties at the farm. Matthew loved reading and never stopped learning. He had a passion for history and a curiosity about people and the world that was contagious.
He enjoyed travelling and many of his trips were based around visiting museums, art galleries and places of historical interest. In fact, his last major trip at 88 years of age was to Israel to see first hand their many important places of military and religious history. Between his varied life experiences and wealth of knowledge, Matthew was always ready for a good debate and took advantage of opportunities to pass on life lessons and advice. He took an interest in everyone he met and endeavored to have a positive impact on their lives. Matthew’s wise advice, warm heart and kind smile will be deeply missed by all who knew him.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations would be gratefully received by Ontario Nature or Trillium Health Partners. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, a live webcast funeral will take place on Friday, November 6, 2020 at 4 p.m. For webcast details and online condolences, please visit newediukfuneralhome.com.