Matthew Bruce

Matt's smile and contagious laughter will live forever in our hearts and memories. Our love and heartfelt prayers go out to his precious family.

Matt was one of my favorite regular customers at the restaurant I work at. I always looked forward to chatting with him when he would come in and when I would see him around town. I didn't know him well, but I am glad to have known him. His passing will be difficult for the many people who knew and loved him, even those of us who knew him casually. Thoughts go out to his close friends and family. He will truly be missed.

The staff of The Old Fashioned have many fond memories of Matt. He was one of our favorites, exuberant and smiling, his memory will brighten our hearts forever. We were incredibly saddened by his passing, and extend our love and support to his family and friends.

The Fair Oaks Diner has been a favorite breakfast spot for years. Many mornings I'd beat Matt there. I will cherish the memories of him riding his bike to work in a blizzard or teasing me about our political differences, and his keen understanding of religious hypocrisy..... Matt, I loved you and cared about you like you were my own son. I miss you already. Come and find me when I cross that river someday. Mary

I was in youth group with Matt growing up. He was the funniest person I’d ever met. He was absolutely fearless and would talk to anyone. One of my favorite memories of him is a youth weekend retreat we went on as freshman in high school. After only a few hours of being in town, we were walking back to the hotel. These gorgeous older girls (we were completely intimidated by) walked past all saying “Hi, Matt!” and this happened two or three times on a very short walk. We couldn’t believe it. When did he have time to meet all of these people? We had barely just arrived. But that was Matt. In less than two hours, he was mayor of the weekend. I saw this happen everywhere we went. His courageousness and unmatched sense of humor (often immature, always hilarious) continue to inspire me. “I’m half the man he is!” Thank you, Matt.