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A Saskatoon athlete is being remembered for his community involvement and his humble spirit.
Justin Filteau was one of three people killed in a plane crash just outside Medicine Hat, Alta. on Saturday.
“He was one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. He was just a genuine and hard-working lunch bucket kind of guy,” former teammate and current Saskatoon Hilltops President Chris Hengen-Braun said.
“Super undersized and a bigger heart that anyone that I know.”
The plane taking off from Medicine Hat Regional Airport at 10:15 p.m. Saturday was en route to Moose Jaw when the American Aviation AA-5B four-seater aircraft did not make its scheduled landing roughly 1.5 hours later.
The aircraft was discovered roughly 40 kilometres east of Medicine Hat, near Irinve, Alta. at 9:30 a.m. Sunday. None of the passengers survived.
Filteau played for the Hilltops in the Canadian Junior Football League from 2010-2014, winning four national titles in that span.
Hengen-Braun played one season with Filteau during his final year as a member of the Hilltops in 2010 and remembers his unflinching enthusiasm.
“(Filteau) brought a passion with everything he did,” Hengen-Braun said. “It’s really hard to put into words.”
“There’s just shock everywhere. This couldn’t have happened to a nicer person and a nicer family.”
Words cannot express how deeply saddened we are to hear of the tragic accident and the passing of Justin Filteau….
Posted by Saskatoon Hilltops on Sunday, June 2, 2019
Following the Hilltops, the 26-year-old Filteau moved on to the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football program, where he played for three years.
He also followed in his mother’s footsteps, competing in Judo and was nationally ranked at one point.
In a post on the Judo Saskatchewan Facebook page, Nancy Filteau asked people to remember her son for his attitude.
“Last night our son Justin W Filteau passed away,” the post reads. “He was killed in a small private plane crash.”
Remember Justin enthusiasm for life, his love for people, his no fear attitude to reach any goal he set, his belief in the underdog and that he believed in giving back.”
After his playing days, Filteau began coaching the Saskatoon Valkyries, a women’s football team in the Western Women’s Canadian Football League. Hengen-Braun said Filteau was on his way to the team’s game against the Regina Riot when the crash happened.