Our family is heartbroken. We are shattered. Our sweet Jett traded his warrior armour for angel wings on January 19, 2022 and ran into the arms of his Gido. Jett was born on May 13, 2016 in Saskatoon to his loving parents Larisa and Manny. He will forever be the much-cherished brother of Lola, Cruz, Boh and Bella.

Jett was our sunshine. He was a kind and gregarious boy who brought a unique energy into the lives of his family each and every day. He was an old soul who exhibited wisdom, maturity and a compassion for others that was well beyond his years. He so loved being with his family and their many trips to Baba and Gido’s farm, getaways to Mexico in the winter, and summer holidays at the cabin. Candle Lake was Jett’s happy place. He so enjoyed bouncing back and forth across the street between the Hawryluk and Reis family cabins with his many cousins, riding the quad and pontoon, digging in the sand at the beach, campfire visits and roasting marshmallows.

Jett loved his tools and working alongside his Dad and Grandpa. He would often be wearing his tool belt and safety goggles and was always ready for work- with his drill and hammer in hand. Jett loved his family. His big sister Lola was his guardian and protector. His brother Cruz was his best buddy and playmate-they were inseparable. The twins Boh and Bella so adored their “Jettie-Bean,” and loved to shower him with hugs and kisses. His Mom and Dad were his absolute everything, the centre of his universe – his world.

He was generous beyond belief and always put others first. He loved shopping for, and gifting his family – everything imaginable. Few things brought Jettie more joy than handing out treats and gifts to his family and watching their reactions.

His life was much too short, but in many ways, was lived to its fullest. He loved and was so loved by his family. The courage, determination, perseverance, and strength that he demonstrated to us all over the last year was truly inspirational, and will never be forgotten.

Approximately 1 year ago Jett was diagnosed with DIPG (Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma), a rare and incurable brain tumour that almost exclusively affects children. Since announcing this, our family has been overwhelmed by the support of countless friends, family, complete strangers, teams and organizations who have supported our family by offering prayers, donating to the Go Fund Me, supplying meals, hosting events in Jett’s honour and offering support in every way imaginable. Special thanks to the Saskatoon Rush for hosting the parade for Jett and to the Sorba family for coordinating Java for Jett which was an incredible initiative. For all of this support, our family will be forever grateful. The financial support provided to our family was used to travel to New York City for 6 weeks in the summer of 2021 for a clinical trial with the hope of finding a cure for Jett. In addition to treating Jett, we had hoped to contribute to the overall advancement of treatment for DIPG, with the goal of ultimately finding that elusive cure so that future generations of children (and their families) might be spared this excruciating DIPG journey.

We also wish to offer special thanks to the Saskatoon Police Service for welcoming Constable Jett Reis into the police fraternity. Jett’s dream was to be a police officer and we are so grateful to the SPS for making his dream come true. We will be forever honoured by the incredible cavalcade of SPS officers that visited our Jettie shortly after his diagnosis, and presented him with his own SPS badge and uniform in a ceremony that we will never forget.

Left to cherish Jett’s memory are: his parents Larisa and Manny, siblings Lola, Cruz, Boh and Bella; grandparents Ethel Hawryluk, Manny Reis Sr., Yvonne Baker; aunts and uncles Tim (Jamie) Hawryluk, Chloe and Allie, Lisa (Dean) Nahachewsky, Molly and Maksym, Mandie (Todd) Wawryk, Trysten, Mckenna and Dhenan, Jaecene (Avery) Spott, Emily and Jake, Justin Reis and Tiago; special family friend Alisen Gaudet.

Jett was predeceased by his Gido – Irwin Hawryluk. Jett and his Gido had a particularly close relationship and we will be forever comforted in knowing that Gido is now carefully watching over our Jett in Heaven.

A Celebration of Jett’s Life will be held at 2pm on Friday, January 28 at Elim Church, 419 Slimmon Road, Saskatoon, with interment to follow at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens. Masks must be worn but everyone is welcome as there are no public gathering restrictions and the venue has a significant capacity. . To view the online service for Jett please visit www.elimchurch.ca/onlineservices (click watch online now).

Tax deductible memorial donations in Jett’s name may be made to the Greater Saskatoon Catholic School Foundation at https://foundation.gscs.ca/ click on “Support Us” then click “Donate Now” then click “Come to the Table” and specify “In Memory of Jett Reis.” These donations will be specifically used to enhance the outdoor playground and learning space at St. Nicholas Catholic School (where Jett was attending kindergarten) in Jett’s name and honour.

Condolences may be left for the family at www.hillcrestmemorial.ca.

• Date : 2022-01-19
• Location : Saskatoon, Saskatchewan