Matthew Michael Fawcett, 60
Matthew Michael Fawcett, 60, passed away on Friday, April 28, 2016, in Corvallis, Oregon, surrounded by his wife and children.
Matt was born in Coalinga, California, on Feb.12, 1957, the son of Ray and Gloria Fawcett, and brother to David and Steven Fawcett. He attended schools in Santa Ynez and Isla Vista, California, before graduating from Righetti High in 1975, where he fell in love with Lynn Legault.
Matt and Lynn married in 1979 and moved to Kalispell to be near David and Connie Fawcett and start a family. Jenny Lynn was born in 1982, Zachary Dylan in 1984, and Emma Lauren in 1995.
In 1989, Matt earned a Bachelor of Arts in Education degree from the University of Montana, and shortly after began a career as a sixth grade teacher at Elrod Elementary in Kalispell. He also coached nationally-ranked teams of Future Problem Solvers of America. During his tenure in classroom 6P, Matt motivated hundreds of kids through his charismatic teaching style and artistic leadership. Matt summed up his pedagogy with three Rs: “Rigor, Relevance, and Relation-ships.” The relationships are what form his legacy; his students cultivated lasting relationships to the subject matter, their peers, themselves, and their teacher.
In 2000, Matt took an administrative position at Canyon Elementary in Hungry Horse. Later, he became principal at Ruder Elementary in Columbia Falls. Matt would describe his administrative duties as having more in common with social work than education. These years were a struggle for Matt, both professionally and personally. According to Matt, the “jazz” of education, his life’s calling, could only be found in the classroom. In 2008, after 29 years, Matt and Lynn divorced.
During the last decade of his life, Matt practiced the art of “Being,” and discovered his greatest happiness. In 2010, he married Stephanie Ann Davis, whom he always called the Fair One. The two relocated to Corvallis, or the “Shire of the Willamette.” Matt worked as a director for the after-school enrichment program at the Boys and Girls Club and education coordinator at Head Start. Matt and Steph enjoyed a rich life of quiet pleasures, including homemade bread, trips to the coast, friends, and true love.
Matt is survived by brother Steven and sister-in-law Patricia Fawcett, son Zachary Dylan Fawcett, and sister-in-law Connie Fawcett of Whitefish; daughters Jenny Lynn and Emma Lauren Fawcett of Missoula; wife Stephanie Ann Fawcett of Corvallis; nephew Jason Fawcett of Seattle; and ex-wife Lynn Fawcett of Kalispell.
A wake to celebrate Matt’s life will be held at 5 p.m. on Monday, May 15, at the Park View Pavilion at Glacier Raft Co. in West Glacier. The family asks that guests bring food and stories to share.
Donations to defray end-of-life expenses are most welcome, and can be made online: “Help Matt Fawcett’s Family” (https://www.gofundme.com/3po24x4).