Mathew Daryl was born at Saugeen Memorial Hospital in Southampton on Friday, February 13, 1981. His arrival was greeted with enthusiasm by his parents, Raymond and Anna (Gelyk) Hodge, along with older siblings Andrew (1970), Michael (1972) and Corinna (1973). Mathew and his family lived on River Street in Tara.
As soon as he was old enough, Mathew could often be found fishing across the street on the banks of the Sauble River. He was a voracious reader from an early age and these activities early in life continued throughout. Sitting peacefully, enjoying a book or fishing were a few of the things he enjoyed the most. Mathew attended Arran-Tara Elementary School. He enjoyed swimming, playing soccer as a child as well as curling. He also had fond memories of scouting and especially enjoyed the camping trips to Big Bay and winter camping in Harrison Park. Among other things, he did volunteer work with the women’s institute craft and hobby fair, helping with everything from marking floors to cleaning-up.
In high school, his love for computers was ignited when he had the chance to do a co-op program at local computer shops in Chesley. Mathew was accepted to Humber College in Toronto and completed a semester and a half in computer programming. He ultimately came home to Tara for a short while and worked at some odd jobs such as roofing and pest control. During that time, he was also able to truly enjoy being an uncle to Justin and Samantha. When the chance to work with his brother Mike at Cappco in Smithville came along, he went for it like a shot. He stayed at Mike’s for a while and had more time to spend with his other nephew, Cole. Mat then took the opportunities that were offered to him and became a ticketed welder and he stayed at Cappco until they closed in 2019.
He enjoyed his time off, until he found a new job at an Amazon fulfillment centre in Hamilton. This was a job that Mathew truly thrived at, even though he worked from 6 in the evening to 4 in the morning. The three-day weekends suited him just fine though. Throughout the years, he helped all of us in many ways, with computers, home improvements, rides. If you needed him, he was the first to say “will do” or “yep, I’ll be there.”
During the years when he was home with just his parents, Mathew and Ray liked to spend a lot of time watching the Leafs on TV. When hockey season was over, they went back to Saturday Night at the Movies on TVO (which Mom was grateful for because it was much quieter) They also enjoyed building Mat’s collections of comic books, and baseball and hockey cards.
Many people will remember Mat for many other things, but some things were pretty constant. He always wore a ball cap, almost always had a coffee in hand and would never say no to seconds. We never had pie leftover for too long or anything else for that matter. He used to say he would eat it to save it. He had an infectious laugh that no one could resist joining in with.
Mathew’s personality can be summed up in a quote from Rudyard Kipling
“I am the cat that walks by himself, and all places are alike to me. I will not come.”
It is with utmost sadness that we say goodbye to Mathew. He passed away suddenly on Sunday, March 3,2024, having just turned 43. He was the beloved son of Anna Hodge of Port Elgin, Loving brother of Andrew, Michael (Brenda Armes), all of Caistor Centre, and Corinna Hodge (Brad Clark) of Dobbinton. Mathew was the cherished uncle of Cole, Justin and Samantha and will be dearly missed by the entire Hodge and Gelyk families. He was predeceased by his father, Raymond (2017), infant niece, Stefanie Clark (1995), grandparents Joseph and Lillian “Florence” (Herbert) Hodge and Frank and Anne Gelyk.
An informal, celebration of Mathew’s life will be held at Tara Legion on Sunday, March 24, 2024, from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. Interment in Sanctuary Park Cemetery, Port Elgin.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to your local food bank or The Kidney Foundation of Canada as an expression of sympathy.
