David and Jennifer Eckert knew that their son Mat would make a great teacher, but it wasn’t until they visited his classroom inside Walkerton District Community School, in the days following his tragic death, that they realized how much he was loved. “We walked in there, and the whiteboards had all sorts of really emotional tributes to him. We knew he was a good teacher. We knew he would connect with young people because of who he was. But we just were blown away to what level,” his father David said. In just a few years time at Walkerton District Community School, Mat Eckert made a big impact. He was beloved by students and his fellow teachers. It is why his death, and those of four of his students in a crash near Dorchester on May 23, 2025, left such a hole in people’s hearts. “He just made a massive impact. He was a cheerleader. He was a support system. And, if somebody was struggling with something, saw it right away. He was that person that went to them and supported them,” said Mat’s mother Jennifer. The 33-year-old math teacher grew up an athlete, playing most sports, but excelling in lacrosse. Winning a lacrosse championship as a player, and more recently as a coach. His dad recounts Walkerton District Community School needing a mountain biking coach, and even though he’d never mountain biked in his life, he volunteered to lead the team. “If they couldn’t find anybody, and if the kids were going to miss out on the opportunity, he’s putting his hand up and he’s going to be there for them,” said David. It was coaching that led Mat to lead the girl’s softball team at Walkerton District Community School. The team was driving back from a tournament in Dorchester when the SUV they were in collided with a transport truck, killing Mat and four of his teenaged softball players, Danica Baker, Kaydance Ford, Rowan McLeod and Olivia Rourke. In his honour, his family, along with Mat’s partner, Teagan, started the Mathew Eckert Charitable Gift Fund, to fund youth sports, mental wellness, and any initiative that might uplift or empower young people, David and Jennifer say. To date, they’ve supported everything from lacrosse scholarships to school backpack programs. “This organization allows kids the opportunity to not to miss out on things because they can’t financially afford it, or because they don’t have the support systems, or the rides to get there, or whatever it may be. If we can do it, we will do everything we can to help out,” Jennifer said. “That’s really what we’re trying to do is remember him by paying it forward to the young people,” David added. Eckert’s number 43 lacrosse jersey is set to be retired by the Owen Sound NorthStars junior B lacrosse squad on Sunday. A ‘hero workout’ will held in his honour, on May 30 at a fitness centre in Owen Sound. You can learn more about those events, by searching Mathew Eckert Charitable Gift Fund on Facebook, or on the fund’s website. “He was just a big heart. He connected. The kids loved him,” said David.
