Mark's Eulogy Speech - Oct 12, 2008

For those of you that didn't have the opportunity to hear it, I'm posting the eulogy speech our son Mark made for Matt. It is one of the most moving things I've heard in my lifetime...

First and foremost I would like to thank all of you for coming today to honor my big brother Matt. There’s no way I can express to you in words alone how much Matt meant to me. Matt was not always the nicest person in the world. Anyone who spent time with him in high school knew that, but he was extremely loving and passionate about his friends and family. If you are here today that includes you.

I do want to share a few things that I knew about Matt:
He loved competition- racing, sports, debates and arguments, working out, trivia, board games, always the banker in monopoly, corn-hole etc. He hated to lose. He never cheated. He always did everything he could to keep the competition pure whether it was a backyard football game, a late night card game, or any of the sports he coached.
He loved everything live- It was never good enough for Matt to just listen to a band on the radio, or even a cd. If he liked the music, he had to see them perform it in person, and when he couldn’t do that he would only listen to the live versions on his Ipod and computers. This mentality applies to sports too, racing, football, basketball, soccer. The tv wasn’t good enough-especially if Matt could be there with a few friends.
He loved anything that could go fast. A fast car, a fast plane, a fast boat. Someone who could run fast, bike fast, swim fast, paddle fast. My brother loved speed. If there was an average speed calculator for his lifetime of driving, I imagine it would be well over 75 mph, and he didn’t like highways-they were too easy.
He loved technology- Everything Matt had always had to be the top of the line- newest thing out there. It’s because of him that I know how to use a computer. It’s because of him that my mom can do e-mail. Not only did he make certain that he had top of the line gear, he did his best to guide his friends and family to make sure they had the same.
He loved to work hard and party harder- I don’t need to go into detail about this. If you talk to anyone from Southland they will tell you just how much he was done for them. None of us think it was a coincidence that while Matt was there they went from regional-to world-wide. If you talk to any of his friends, you’ll also hear how much partying he has done with them. The select few bars that Matt enjoyed dearly- the Rhino Club, or the Burro, just might go out of business without his regular donations.
He also loved the Panthers. You couldn’t have spent time with matt within the past 4 years without knowing that.
He loved a challenge- If you ever wanted to get Matt to do something, just tell him he couldn’t do it. He could fix anything. A car, a computer, a cell phone, a vacuum, a dishwasher-you name it. I learned so much from Matt, but the biggest thing was that you really can do anything if you think about it, do some research, and take your time.
Most importantly, he loved all of you. Each and every one of you. If you feel touched by his life- that was Matt’s way of letting you know he cared. Keep in mind what I said about him not being the nicest person in the world, not everyone made it into his circle, but those who did- he would do anything for and expect nothing in return.
Matt is gone. We all know that. It will not be easy. There are three things that I have been able to take comfort in out of all this tragedy and disaster. If you have been around the family in the past few days you probably have heard these things already, but they are all we have to help us through the past week.
Matt lived his life at 100mph constantly. He did what he wanted to do, when he wanted to do it, and however he pleased. He lived more in his 26 years then most of us could hope to do in 100. He had no regrets. It was almost like he knew.
Matt- even in his death is still helping others. His eyes have been used to help 2 other people in this world see.
The most comforting feeling for me is when the time comes for me to pass, and for any of you here in this room. Matt will already be there waiting, ready to be by my side to welcome me into eternity. And I’m sure in the mean time, he will be driving the fastest cars, and have the best computers, and be tailgating for the arrival of us all.
Again I would like to thank you all for coming today, it means a lot to our family and it would mean even more to him. And remember: Matt Ford loved you and cared about you, and in time would expect you all to keep moving forward like he never left you and cherish his memory.