Janice Anne Matichuk “Rabbit”
July 24, 1954 – August 5, 2020
Atikokan, ON P0W, Canada
life story
Young Janice with one of her championship recognitions.
About Janice
Janice Anne Matichuk “Rabbit,” born July 24, 1954, to Sam and Anne Matichuk in Atikokan, left her life as she lived it, very well, with exceptional dignity, pride and so much love. She passed peacefully at home in her sleep on August 4th-5th 2020 with her children nearby.
Thankfully her battle against Glioblastoma was short and mostly painless. She enjoyed her neatly crafted life right to the end, spending days in her most loved areas of bush, with dear friends and family, listening to her diverse variety of treasured music, at home with her kids.
Janice’s life was a long one, for only 66 years of time spent.
She was Sam and Anne’s firstborn, followed by her two brothers Craig Matichuk and Darcy Matichuk all of whom she loved dearly and fiercely. The family lived in Elliot Lake for a time, for the most part residing in the family home in Hyland Park, “across the tracks” from Atikokan, where Janice perfected her love of and loyalty to the surrounding wilderness.
She loved spending time in her grandmother’s tailor shop where she learned to sew her own clothing, later finding great enjoyment in knitting and most other needlework.
Of her many interests, sport was a big part of her life from the start. Her champion status as an athlete began in high school on the basketball, badminton, and volleyball teams, which she continued throughout her post-secondary education and she took great pride in being the first female to take Atikokan High School’s NRT course as well as her time in the Outers program.
Janice attended Sault College on a scholarship where she became the first woman to graduate from the Forestry program, continued as a championship athlete, was an exchange student in Sweden, and landed a job with Great Lakes Pulp and Paper, along with making lifelong friends and cherished memories.
After college, she returned to Atikokan, though soon leaving on a small motorcycle for “3 Schools” Art College in downtown Toronto. This was a time in her life where she really blossomed, she was the first student there to be full time, taking every art course/class she could schedule.
While living in Toronto she became involved with Canoe Ontario, where she met the other half of what would be a champion professional mixed marathon canoe racing team, Peter A Puddicombe, whom she later married on Eva Lake and fathered her children, Leif and Ingela.
The couple were a serious competition and were quite involved with the Ontario Marathon Canoe Racing Association, including being the editors of their newsletter Hut for many years.
Of necessity was born what would later become the Wildwood Paddle business; they built their own racing “shells” (Canoes) and “sticks” (paddles) building for other racers as well. To this day there is an annual canoe race which the two created in southern Ontario called, “The Marsh Mash.” They accomplished so much in this time as broke marathon canoe racers, listing their accomplishments and noteworthy “wins” is impossible.
Janice and Peter left the Lefroy/Degrassi area, where they had been renovating roofs of summer homes and splitting/delivering firewood in the Toronto area, to settle down 45 km north of North Bay, down Yellowstone Road in/on Tilden Lake.
This is where Janice made her family, as the small summer cottage/property they purchased took shape, so did the family and soon, as a log home formed in their minds, their connections from their work at North Bay MNR found the job in Quetico at Cache Bay.
Janice spent 36 summers as the Cache bay Ranger, leaving her as the longest-serving interior ranger in Quetico, and the second-longest employee at Atikokan MNR, just shy a few months of the current record holder. She would try to explain to those in awe, that just because she was in the park, on the island, didn’t mean she got to enjoy the surroundings. However, she did make time each summer to paddle thru her favorite areas (like a rabid bear was chasing her).
Janice took great pride in her work, especially as a woman in non-traditional roles, which she was hired to give talks about at Nipissing University in the ’90s.
Cross Country Skiing became an integral part of her winters. She not only got her friends and family skiing with her but also volunteered endlessly helping to keep the local clubs and the trails operational.
The biggest upset of her “finger incident” this past fall, was that she couldn’t do her regular amount/intensity of brushing Atikokan’s ski trails.
She loved swimming in lakes, as long as she didn’t have to go in gradually, or touch bottom.
No matter where she was in the world she loved to walk and observe her surroundings, musing on the whys and hows and what-ifs she would find in every little and big piece of life. Though not formally religious, when traveling Europe, she most enjoyed visiting the old Churches, admiring the architecture.
Art was such an important part of Janice, she found art in everything as a true artist does. She created constantly throughout her entire life, from sculpture to dance to music to photography to all types of visual arts, painting, sketching, crafts and creations. She enjoyed playing the jaw harp, hand drums, and the accordion which started when she was barely big enough to hold it, continuing to play well enough to make it on to one of Sunday Wilde’s albums.
She loved bringing the bush into her home and into all of ours as well. While her kids were in elementary school she not only volunteered in the school's library and started the first breakfast program in North Bay and donated a fridge in order to finalize funding a milk program for the school, she also taught art classes to each grade, usually consisting of re-purposed recyclables and freshly harvested items from the bush.
Janice was an exceptional person, which included the rescue and saving of countless lives from the hypothermic waters of Saganaga Lake. In Late Nov. 2020 the book Her Island: The Story of Quetico’s Longest Serving Interior Ranger authored by Joe Friedrichs will be released and will offer a personal look into her life at Cache bay and some of the many lives she changed while there. Janice spent the last years of her life compiling info/stories, relaying them to Joe endlessly, finishing quite literally, just in time.
Though she received the 1998 MNR PRIDE Service award and a Commendation from the Governor-General and The Medal of Valor; none can begin to impart what she has given of herself to everything she's been part of.
She cherished her time with friends and family, she loved nothing more than relaying her most recent adventures and thru the ‘90s these stories were accompanied with carefully selected slideshows, which became so popular and informative she was hired to present them to various organizations and schools.
Janice is thankfully survived by much of her family. In her passing, she has joined her mother Anne Matichuk (Carlson), brother Craig Matichuk and granddaughter Filleisity Sponchia.
With so many people to thank and such a lengthy obit, please understand, at this time, thanking all of you in general. Leif and Ingela will handle their gratitude with each of you personally.
Due to the pandemic, there will be no immediate Funeral. The Matichuk family will have a private gathering.
Leif and Ingela will arrange appropriate memorials when the time is right and safe, with the intention to offer a memorial for each area of her life/possibly annual events in her name at the Ski Club, the Gallery, the Park, and Sag lake. If you have suggestions/questions please contact Ingela and Leif, they will do their best to keep everyone apprised of any such plans.