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DANESSA JOY MATHIS
Danessa Joy (Picklyk) Mathis passed away peacefully, with her family by her side, in Minnetonka, Minnesota, on Sunday, July 19, 2026, at the age of 51, following a courageous battle with cancer.
Danessa was born to Nathanael and Thaisa (Skripnik) Picklyk on October 8, 1974, in Parma, Ohio. As a young child, her family moved to Swan River, Manitoba, where she attended local schools. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Music from Brandon University and later a Master of Library and Information Studies from McGill University.
Music was woven throughout Danessa's life. She began piano lessons at age four, played for church services by age eleven, and devoted years to studying classical piano. Her first job was teaching piano lessons at age fourteen, and she continued teaching both piano and music theory for many years. Her career as a librarian took her to the University of Lethbridge, the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in Edmonton, Neelin High School in Brandon, and Smith Chason College in San Marcos.
To know Danessa was to know someone who cared deeply. Thoughtful, intelligent, and highly dependable, she was the person people sought out for sound judgment, a trusted listening ear, or a dose of her wry, sharp-witted humour - punctuated by her unmistakable cackle. Studious and, at times, a perfectionist, she approached her academic, musical, and professional work with diligence, yet she was equally happy curled up watching reruns of Family Ties or Little House on the Prairie. Her lifelong love of reading began as a young girl, when she stayed up well into the night reading novel after novel by her bedside lamp.
Danessa found her true love in her husband, Jeff Mathis, whom she married in 2018, and together they built a life first in San Marcos, California, and later in Minnetonka, Minnesota. She remarked how Minnesota felt like home, with its similarities to Manitoba's beautifully treed landscape. Together they shared deep love, abundant laughter, and, just as importantly, the strength to carry one another through life's hardest seasons. Danessa was deeply proud of Jeff, and he brought her immense joy.
As the eldest child, Danessa was the one Mom and Dad trusted to watch over her younger brothers and keep things running smoothly. That quiet sense of responsibility never left her. She nurtured relationships with extraordinary care, remembering birthdays, writing letters, checking in with a text or video chat to see how someone was doing. She had a remarkable gift for making people feel heard.
Living with long-term health complications gave Danessa a deep compassion for those facing struggles of their own. Even while quietly carrying burdens that many never fully saw, she remained genuinely present for others during their moments of need. Her kindness was patient, steady, and unassuming, expressed not through grand gestures but through countless small acts of faithfulness repeated over a lifetime.
Danessa's kindness, humour, and steadfast love left a lasting imprint on everyone fortunate enough to know her. She will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered.
Danessa is survived by her beloved husband, Jeff Mathis, and her stepchildren, Caleb, Mia, and Amelia; her mother, Thaisa Picklyk; her parents-in-law, Ron and Janet Cody; her brothers, Nathan (Deanna) Picklyk and Jonathan (Monique) Picklyk; her nephew, Emerson Picklyk; and many aunties, uncles, cousins, and cherished friends. She was predeceased by her father, Nathanael Picklyk, in 2023.
Service Details:
The Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, August 1, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. at Church of the Cross, 201 9th Avenue North, Hopkins, MN, 55343.
For those unable to attend in person, a livestream will be available. Please visit washburn-mcreavy.com/obituaries closer to the service date for livestream details.
Following the funeral service, a public interment will be held at Groveland Cemetery, 3300 Woodlawn Avenue, Wayzata, MN, 55391.
A reception will be held at the church following the interment.
As published in Brandon Sun on Jul 29, 2026