Aaron Murray David Affleck

With heavy hearts and unbelievable sorrow, we announce the passing of our beautiful son, brother and dad on August 21 in Calgary, Alberta, at the age of 42. He was born on December 10, 1980, our first born and a Christmas present. Aaron was predeceased by his grandparents Keith and Margaret Affleck, and Ted and Laura Bot, his uncles Curtis Affleck and Wes Bot. He is survived by his parents Bev and Murray Affleck, his brothers Cory, Graeme (Kristina) and Casey (Jenna), and by his son Carter and daughter Payton. He is also survived by his uncle Doug (Brenda), cousins Angie, Kristin, Nolan and their families, and his uncle Craig (Patricia) cousins Connor, Marie and Carter, and by his cousins Justin and Jaylene Bot and Collin Affleck.

Aaron was a very easy child, bringing joy and love into our lives. His laughter, his warm smile and his kind-hearted nature endeared him to everyone. He was always willing to help anyone in need of his assistance. His positive attitude, fun loving spirit and his forgiving ways were commendable.

Aaron attended Ecole Ste Marguerite Bourgeoys School in French immersion until Grade 6. He has the distinct honor of naming the school through a contest in Grade 1. Both of his children attended SMB and took pride in knowing their dad named their school. Aaron went on to St. Thomas Aquinas High School for a few years and then to Beaver Brae High School where he graduated.

Aaron loved the outdoors and had a great zest for adventure. He was a dynamo water skier and loved boating, camping and fishing. He grew up with his brothers on Coney Island and adventures abounded, from knee boarding to waterskiing to rope swinging, duck boarding, diving for golf balls after an island tournament and so on. He achieved his PADI (underwater diving) certificate at the age of 15. Many evenings on Coney were spent in our sunporch with the neighbourhood kids, playing board games or watching movies. Aaron also loved downhill skiing and snowboarding and taught Payton and Carter how to ski and follow in his lead down the slopes of Mount Evergreen, and on to the Rockies. Aaron’s athletic interests also included baseball and high school football, as well as snowmobiling in the wintertime. Aaron was an accomplished curler and competed in both high school and junior playdowns. In fact, he has the distinction of skipping the only all brothers team to compete at the junior level for Northwestern Ontario, a statistic that still stands to this day.

Aaron had a great intellectual ability and was very mechanically inclined. He loved shop class in high school. There wasn’t anything that he couldn’t figure out or fix or build. His choice of computer technology suited him well and he was a whiz at it. He graduated from the University of Winnipeg, certified in computer programming and web design and went on to start his own company. He amazed us with his talent for designing logos and websites.

Aaron was a great dad. He loved to cook and happily did so for the kids and family gatherings. He took Payton and Carter on many adventures – sporting events such as NHL games and FIFA Cup, ski trips, camping, Monster Jam, hotel stays with theme rooms and water slides- to name a few. There is a tree fort next to our cottage that he built and will forever be a reminder.

Family was very important to Aaron. We had many family gatherings over the years and many trips with the boys when they were growing up. We celebrated everything- birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, to name a few, and that family traditionalism remained strong as he became a family man himself.

Aaron forged many friendships over the years. His friendships were genuine and his compassion for others was real. He was non-judgemental and saw the good in everyone. He loved with his heart and soul.

We acknowledge that Aaron suffered over the years with a terrible disease. However, we know that his true spirit always shone through, and we are so proud of the person that he truly was. May his legacy be one of kindness, goodwill and love- so much love. His spirit will remain forever in our hearts. When we have cried enough tears and our hearts have stopped hurting, we know that we have beautiful memories to cherish. We loved you so much Aaron, and you knew that. You will forever be on our minds and in our hearts. Soar high on angels’ wings, you’re free now.

A funeral service will be held at Notre Dame Catholic Church on Saturday, September 16 at 11 a.m. We would be honored if you could attend. Honorary pallbearers are his brothers, Cory, Graeme and Casey, his son Carter, and his friends Shawn Bailey, Scott Green, Tyler Beilner and Digger Lundin.

In lieu of flowers, an education trust account has been set up at Copperfin Credit Union for Aaron’s children. Contributions can be made through etransfer to [email protected]