PO Box 188

   Lancaster, SC 29721

 ph.# 803/285-6488

REMEMBER ME,

AND ALL THE WONDERFUL

TIMES  WE SHARED,

REMEMBER WHAT YOU MEANT TO ME,

HOW MUCH FOR YOU I CARED,

AND IF YOU MISS MY CHEERFUL SMILE,

OR THE WARMTH OF MY TOUCH,

REMEMBER NOW AND ALWAYS,

I MISS YOU JUST AS MUCH.

PERHAPS TO ALL OF THOSE I LOVE,

MY TIME WITH YOU SEEMED BRIEF,

MY HOPE IS THAT OUR MEMORIES,

WILL REPLACE YOUR TEARS OF GRIEF.

AND IF TODAY YOU FIND YOUR HEART,

FILLED WITH PAIN AND SORROW,

REMEMBER THAT MY WISH FOR YOU,

IS THE SUNSHINE OF TOMORROW.

   SO FOLLOW THE PATH GOD MADE FOR YOU,

AND WHEN YOU GET HIS CALL,

  YOU’LL KNOW THE PEACE THAT I NOW KNOW,

WHEN IN HIS ARMS YOU FALL.

AND THOUGH I’VE RUN THAT FINAL MILE,

I AM NOT REALLY GONE,

FOR IF YOU KEEP ME IN YOUR HEART,

YOU’LL NEVER BE ALONE.

   Matthew Derek Blackwell

       April 8, 1986 - May 11, 2001

        I write this somewhat brief description of Matt the only way I know how; as his Dad.      

        Putting his life into words is both a rewarding and a difficult task. Rewarding in that, as       

        his father, I always welcome the opportunity to openly express what my son meant to

        my life, yet difficult in that it’s hard to describe, briefly, someone, who, in so many ways,

        was your life. I could write volumes about Matt, how he touched the lives of his family,

        his friends, and, even now, those whom he never even met.

        Matt was a beautiful child. Everything, at least in

        the eyes of his mother and I, we could have asked

        for in a son. Bright, sensitive, energetic, athletic,

        and loving are only a few adjectives which could be

        used to describe him. A wonderful sense of humor

        and a smile, sometimes so wide his eyes would

        almost completely close.

        Matt was a giver. He gave of his time to help

        others young and old. He coached T-ball up until the

        time he died, knowing the importance of being a

        role model to younger kids, just as he had positive

        role models when he was growing up.

        A neighbor told me a story shortly after Matt had

        passed  away. The father had come into his home

        and asked his wife, where his 5 year old daughter

        was. The wife points to the backyard. There, the

        father sees his 5-year-old daughter with Matt, a 15

        year old, teaching her how to hit a T-Ball. With all

        the patience in the world, Matt watches her hit the

        ball, he retrieves the hit ball, brings it back, and

        repeats the process over and over. The father was

        so touched that a teenager would take the time,

        when there could be thousands of other things he

        could be doing for himself, to teach and encourage

        his young child.

        You see, Matt respected others. He looked for the good and positive in everyone. He saw

        people in a light that some never do in lifetime. He encouraged those around him, trying to

        give hope in situations where many obstacles had to be overcome. I think Matt saw the big

        picture. In the words of LHS Baseball Coach Steve Williams, “Unlike many, Matt saw beyond

        the end of his nose.”

         Matt was a competitor. Ask any of those who played with or against him. He played hard,

         with all his heart, whether it was a baseball game or just a backyard, pick up, basketball

         game. There were times when he would go to weight conditioning for baseball, leave

         directly for a church basketball game, and play two games back to back, and in that last

         minute of that last game he'd be playing just as hard as when it all began. Down by 10 runs,

         ahead by 30 points, his effort was always the same.

         But with all of his competitive spirit, and the will to win, Matt never lost sight of the

         importance of sportsmanship. When all was said and done, and the final gun had sounded,

         Matt was there to greet his opponent, with his head held high and a heartfelt “Good Game,

         Guys.” That spirit, and not the talent, was what I, as his father, was most proud of.

         Matt was the true definition of a teammate. Coach Williams described him as “A player’s

         player”, the one on the sidelines or in the game always encouraging, motivating, uplifting his 

         teammates. Positive attitude and confidence, willing to risk failure for the possibility of

         success, that was the way Matt thought it should be. His heart and spirit are the reasons

         Coach Williams let him wear that #1 jersey. That's the reason The Matt Blackwell Foundation

         logo is what it is. It is our hope that the words used to describe Matt's personality and his

         many wonderful qualities can always be used to describe the foundation which honors his

         name.      ~ Larry Blackwell