Dean Mathias: Tuross Heads man killed in crash remembered at funeral

Fiance, mechanical genius and dog lover Dean Mathias has been remembered at a funeral after he and his dog were tragically killed in a heartbreaking car crash.

Members from the community flocked to remember Dean Mathias at his funeral.

A “gorgeous, generous and handsome” fiance and mechanic who – along with his canine best friend – were tragically killed in a crash have been remembered by family, friends and the community as “beautiful souls” at a packed funeral.

Tuross Heads’ Dean Mathias, 25, along with his greyhound cross English mastiff Axl died on August 24 after the fatal crash along the Princes Hwy outside Moruya in which his ute rolled.

Mr Mathias was set to marry Libby Williams after she said “yes” to his proposal earlier this year. His fiance said it was the “easiest decision I have ever made” during her tribute at the funeral in the Broulee Memorial Gardens.

“Sometimes I’d look at you, and I’d say ‘just marry me already’; it turned out you were listening,” Ms Williams said.

“We were out on a routine mission finding firewood and we sat in the gully watching the sunset behind the trees. I went to grab a drink and when I turned around, [Dean] was on his knees pouring his heart out. Of course the cheeky bugger made me collect firewood first.”

Libby Williams brought tears to the crowd with her beautiful tribute to her late fiance.

Libby Williams tearfully told the story of how Dean asked her to marry him.

Ms Williams spoke about her love story with Mr Mathias, noting how the two knew they loved each other early on in the relationship.

“We said I love you to each other only two weeks in,” she said. “They were also the last words we said to each other.”

Libby Williams remembered her fiance as a gorgeous, generous and handsome man.

Remembering his passion for fixing cars and his generosity, Ms Williams said Mr Mathias – who was described as a mechanical genius – would go out of his way to fix his friends’ cars or motorbikes, just so he could spend time with them.

“I miss the sound of you roaring up the street, or you laughing with your friends in the shed,” she said. “I would give anything to hear it again.”

Ms Williams also took time to remember the couple’s dog, Axl, who the pair bought after Mr Mathias had to bury his childhood dog, Tai.

According to Ms Williams, Mr Mathias showed her a picture of Axl as a puppy and the two decided then and there they were bringing him home.

“Of course, this was before I knew he was going to grow to the size of a small horse,” Ms Williams laughed.

Dean Mathias and his dog Axl.

Both Axl and Mr Mathias became inseparable, with the two going on jobs together and Axl joining his owner wherever he went on the back of his ute.

“[Axl] became an extension of his tray,” Ms Williams said. “Random road workers would comment on him, saying how good of a dog he was and Dean would be so excited to come home and tell me. I miss them both more than you will ever know.”

Mr Mathias’ father Joseph Mathias remembered his son as a “hard working, great bloke”.

“The bond between a father and son, mother and son, brother and sister formed at his first breath,” he said. “His birth was the greatest moment of my life and this tragedy has been the greatest trauma.”

Mr Mathias continued, noting how his son was eager to work from a young age.

“He became the best mechanic,” he said. “He could work on them, fix them and boy could he drive them.”

Dean's father Joseph Mathias said he would remember his son as a great, genuine bloke.

Close friend Riley mentioned how he and Mr Mathias’ other friends had spent the past few traumatic days remembering the times they shared with the mechanic who would “bring smiles to any room he walked in”.

“He was one of the most genuine blokes you would ever meet,” he said. “He was always there for anyone who needed him.”

As the service came to a close, Mr Mathias’ family and friends hugged and cried, remembering the man he was.

And as the casket was carried out by his friends and father, the lyrics of ‘Give Heaven Hell’ by Hardy echoed the room: “Crank it loud, hold it down ‘til I get there, and when I do, I hope you got some new stories to tell, ‘til then, give heaven some hell”.