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March 28, 2004
Coach Matt Smith
The hardest thing in life is the one thing that is truely unavoidable, the end of our earthly life. Yesterday we bid final farewells to Coach Matt Smith.
The pastor characterized Matt's carefree attitude perfectly and I was fine until he discussed Matt's giving nature and his dedication to youth athletics. I hadn't let it be real to me until that moment. I had walked in a fog since the phone call came in early Thursday morning. It's not like I was in denial; I simply refused to think about it. I didn't want to think about the Coach's clinics we attended or all of the ballgames we had been to. I didn't want to remember being left at Goldsboro High School or Matt talking about how demanding I was of the Student Managers as we sped to a ballgame with a Denali load of crying girls in the back. In my mind, I could avoid the reality of it all by not thinking about it. But we can not avoid the unavoidable.
Matt was a great guy, a loving husband, a devoted family man, a friend without compromise, a coach to young men who need leadership, and above all that a cheerful spirit in a world of blase people.
He looks down on us, wishing we were not sad, but we can not help but to grieve for our own loss.
Matt has touched so many people and we will miss him more than mere words can express.
Posted by hlperson at March 28, 2004 03:13 PM
Comments
he was a great coach and friend he will truly be missed not just by me but my many
Posted by: richard jones at April 2, 2004 03:55 PM
coach smith never knew what he meant to all of us, he was one of the few coaches at EW that i can say i would play three football games in one night against anyone in the country for. he never made you feel uncomfortable, he always made you feel like you could reach any goal that you wanted in your life, at the end of the day, he was just happy that you gave it your best and that you didnt give up on yourself. i cant put in to words what he meant to me. just being with me for four years plus and getting to know such a great man, was enough for me, i just hope that i can be as great to someone else as he was to all the guys who played for him. i mean sometimes you wonder why the good ones have to go, but then you realize that they have done their work, and that he is needed somewhere better, i will never forget the long summers and the cold nights of october. i know you are watching and i will make it and make something of what you have given me. thanks coach. i see you on the other side someday, and we will laugh it up again.
Posted by: Dishan Smith at April 12, 2004 11:45 PM
Even though we haven't known each other that long we grow very close. He was there for me whenever I needed him and I appericate that so much. Yes, Coach Smith taught me many things about football, but I won't remember him for that. I will remember him for teaching me how to become a man, that lesson will never be forgotten. Coach Smith, never knew what he meant to us as a team, but we as a team knew that we would not have been able to do many of the things we have done without him. Coach I know that you are in a better place now, and I am happy for that. But it hurts like hell not having you here with me/ with us. A part of Coach Smith will always remain here, and that part is what's inside of me.
Much Love Coach Smith,
Manny Lawson
Posted by: Manny Lawson at April 14, 2004 06:56 PM