I want you to know about Matthew from a mother’s perspective and with my insight from having known and loved him dearly for nearly 39 years,. He was a beautiful and precocious child – I am certain that is no surprise to any of you.
He was graced with a gift for humor and wit (which I so envied) and an amazing capacity for story telling, which he could also put to paper with ease and fluidity.
He was well read beyond anyone I knew and we dueled often together over our knowledge and enjoyment of words and their meaning with the utmost respect and enjoyment. We regularly shared and discussed our favorite books – something I will miss greatly. I can recommend Peace Like a River by Leif Enger – a Minnesota author – from both of us.
He treasured his Richard Ford and Cormac McCarthy books – which may provide insight to another layer of who Matthew was.
He kept his personal pain inside, but he spread a very special – his own form – of joy to so many. He treasured his friends and his colleagues and the young people he worked with at Cuesta more than you can possibly know. And you all brought a special form of delight and reward to him that truly mattered. It was of the utmost importance to Matthew that he make a difference in the lives of others.
In spite of that, I don’t think there is anyone on the face of this earth that he loved more than his brother, Nathan. Together they demonstrate the meaning of love and devotion and were beyond entertaining to those around them.
I know that you all knew that Matthew was an amazingly caring soul. Through my own personal ordeal of the past two years – Matthew was there for me in every way possible – from figuring out how to not faint – his normal reaction – over some rather gory details – to making me laugh out loud when there was very little to laugh about.
I don’t need to tell you that a mother’s love for her children surpasses that of life itself. Matthew has surpassed that love as both a son and a friend. He was a very special child and adult, who has always had a sweet, giving and sensitive heart. In spite of his times of anguish, Matthew wanted to be what he viewed as perfect; as good as he thought he should be and sadly he could not see that to all of us he was.
Children are supposed to outlive their parents – my sorrow is beyond words – but I am blessed – as any of you who know me well know – to have had a closeness and special friendship with this dear man, my first-born son. I will miss him so much. He filled my life with love and I could not have loved him more.
Thank you on behalf of Matthew and his family for being here and for your gift of friendship and love.
In Memory of Matt Aydelott 