Matthew (Matt) Thomas Christopher Newton

Matthew Thomas Christopher Born in Nottingham 8th September 1986
Died aged 20 died on Mothers Day 18th March 2007
Vodafone help desk
Innellan Dunoon Argyll
Eldest son to Kerry and Chris Newton and big brother to Charlotte, James, Alistair, Jonathan, Lucy, Sophie and Patrick
Died suddenly at home from SUDEP (sudden unexpected death in Epilepsy)

To raise money and awareness to epilepsy action, visit http://www.justgiving.com/twillows and donate for this wonderful cause.

Eulogy written by Matt's Dad for his service on 30th March 2007

MATTHEW THOMAS CHRISTOPHER NEWTON

Music on entry : James Blunt Track 4 Goodbye my lover.

GOOD AFTERNOON

FOR ANYONE WHO DOESN’T KNOW ME, I’M CHRIS NEWTON, MATTHEW’S FATHER.

KERRY AND I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING, PARTICULARLY THOSE WHO’VE MADE A LONG JOURNEY TO BE HERE TO SAY GOODBYE TO MATT.

MATTHEW WAS NOT AT ALL RELIGIOUS, (THOUGH HE CERTAINLY HAD A SPIRITUAL SIDE TO HIS NATURE), SO THIS WILL NOT BE A RELIGIOUS SERVICE.

BUT IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO OFFER A QUIET PRAYER PLEASE DO, AND THANK YOU.

WE ALSO DON’T WANT THIS TO BE TOO SAD AN OCCASION. MATTHEW WOULDN’T HAVE WANTED THAT, HE WOULD INSIST WE ALL STOP BEING MISERABLE AND CHEER UP.

WE’VE BEEN TO GATHERINGS, SIMILAR TO TODAY, WHERE SOMEONE WHO DIDN’T KNOW THE PERSON IN LIFE TRIES TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THEM.

BUT NO MATTER HOW WELL BRIEFED, OR HOW WELL INTENTIONED,
SOMETIMES THE REAL CHARACTER, THE REAL ESSENCE, OF THAT PERSON IS MISSING.

AS MATTHEW’S FAMILY WE DIDN’T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN TODAY SO PLEASE BEAR WITH US WHILST WE TRY TO TELL YOU ABOUT THE SON WE WERE SO PROUD OF.

MATT WAS A BRIGHT, INTELLIGENT YOUNG MAN. AS A BABY HE DID EVERYTHING BY THE BOOK, PROBABLY ONE REASON WHY WE WENT ON TO HAVE SEVEN MORE.

IN THE MAIN HE WAS GOOD NATURED AND EASY-GOING. GENEROUS TO A FAULT. HE LIKED HELPING HIS BROTHERS AND SISTERS WITH THEIR COMPUTERS, OR PLAYING TRAINS WITH PATRICK, OR CARRYING HIM ROUND ON HIS SHOULDERS. HE HAD A TERRIFIC SENSE OF HUMOUR. I CAN ALMOST HEAR HIS VOICE IN MY EAR NOW SAYING ‘DAD, LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE, AT LEAST NOW YOU WILL FINALLY GET YOUR MONTY PYTHON DVDS BACK’.




2
MATTHEW COULD ALSO BE EXASPERATING, POMPOUS ON OCCASIONS, AND WAS UNTIDY TO OLYMPIC QUALIFYING STANDARD. HE HAD A TOTAL INABILITY TO MANAGE MONEY. HIS SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM OF HOW TO MAKE £50 LAST TWO WEEKS WAS TO SPEND £49.50 TODAY AND LET THE NEXT 13 DAYS TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES. WHILST HE WAS AT UNI WE WERE SENDING OUT MORE FOOD PARCELS THAN THE RED CROSS.

MATTHEW WAS PARTICULAR ABOUT HIS APPEARANCE, LOVED BEING SMARTLY DRESSED IN A SHIRT AND TIE, AND SPENT AGES ON HIS HAIR
AND A FORTUNE ON AFTER SHAVE. WHEN WE WENT ON FAMILY OUTINGS MATTHEW WOULD WANT TO KNOW THAT EVERYONE WAS NEAT AND TIDY BEFORE WE LEFT.

MUSIC WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO MATTHEW. HIS TASTE WAS WIDE RANGING AND HIS VAST CD COLLECTION RUNS FROM JOHNNY CASH TO IRON MAIDEN, JAMIROQUI TO THE WHO AND ARTIC MONKEYS TO THE EAGLES. HE EVEN LIKED MUSIC I LISTEN TO, AND MANY TIMES WE TALKED INTO THE NIGHT ABOUT BANDS FROM THE SIXTIES AND SEVENTIES THAT HE’D HEARD.

THE MUSIC BEING PLAYED TODAY HAS BEEN TAKEN FROM HIS MANY FAVOUITE TRACKS .

FROM THE AGE OF ABOUT SEVEN MATTHEW WANTED TO BE A PILOT. WHILST OTHERS GREW OUT OF WANTING TO BE TRAIN DRIVERS AND ASTRONAUTS, MATTHEW NEVER WAVERED.

A PILOT FRIEND, JERRY, GAVE MATT A FLIGHT MANUAL AND A BIG COCKPIT POSTER FOR A 747, AND A WEEK LATER MATTHEW TOOK JERRY THROUGH THE ENTIRE PRE FLIGHT AND TAKE OFF ROUTINES.
JERRY WAS AMAZED, MATTHEW WAS EIGHT.
GLIDING WITH THE SCOUTS, FLYING A RADIO CONTROLLED MODEL,
A TRIP TO THE COCKPIT WHILST ON A HOLIDAY FLIGHT WITH HIS GRANDMOTHER ALL FUELLED HIS PASSION.

AND HIS WORK EXPERIENCE AT SIXTEEN WAS SPENT WITH THE RAF AT WADDINGTON, WITH A TRIP IN A TORNADO, A FLIGHT SIMULATOR EXERCISE AND A WEEK OF TALKING TO PILOTS.

MATTHEW DIDN’T WANT TO BE A TOP GUN FIGHTER PILOT, HE WANTED TO FLY THE BIG STUFF, SO HE STARTED RESEARCHING COMMERCIAL AIRLINE TRAINING PRORAMMES.

AT SEVENTEEN HE HAD PASSED HIS DRIVING TEST, BOUGHT HIS BELOVED FIRST CAR AND PLANNED HIS CAREER AS A PILOT.


3.
THEN CAME EPILEPSY, THE BLACK MONKEY THAT SAT ON HIS SHOULDER FOR THE LAST THREE AND A HALF YEARS OF HIS LIFE.

HE LOST HIS DRIVING LICENCE FOR 12 MONTHS.
HE LOST ANY CHANCE OF FLYING FOREVER.

TO SAY MATT STRUGGLED TO COME TO TERMS WITH HIS EPILEPSY IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT. AND WHILST HE EVENTUALLY WENT TO UNIVERSITY IN NEWCASTLE TO READ ENGINEERING HIS HEART WASN’T IN IT. HE FOUND THE WORK A SLOG, AND BECAUSE OF HIS ILLNESS HE COULD NOT JOIN IN THE USUAL STUDENT EXCESSES.
BROUGHT UP IN THE COUNTRY, HE DIDN’T LIKE THE CITY AND HE MADE FEW FRIENDS.

IN JANUARY 2007 HE CAME HOME, FIRST TO TALK, THEN TO STAY.

AND ON SUNDAY 18TH MARCH, MOTHERS DAY, HE DIED.

THIS NEXT PIECE OF MUSIC BY RUFUS WAINWRIGHT WAS A REAL FAVOURITE OF MATTHEWS. USED ON THE SOUNDTRACK OF THE FILM ‘SHREK’, HE PLAYED IT FREQUENTLY, OFTEN SINGING ALONG

Shrek cd track 10 Rufus Wainwright Hallelujah

HE WASN’T ABOVE WATCHING THE FILM EITHER.

DURING THE LAST 9 WEEKS OF HIS TIME WITH US, MATT’S LIFE CHANGED.

HE WAS BACK WITH HIS FAMILY THAT HE LOVED..

HE WAS IN A PLACE HE LOVED TO BE, ARGYLL.THE HILLS AND THE WATER ALL MEANT SO MUCH TO HIM.

HE FOUND A JOB HE ENJOYED WITH PEOPLE HE LIKED AND RESPECTED.

HE CARED DEEPLY FOR HIS GIRLFRIEND MEGAN.

AND FOR THE FIRST TIME HE STARTED TO ACCEPT HIS EPILEPSY

AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME HE STARTED TO LOOK FORWARD AND TO MAKE PLANS FOR THE FUTURE.

HE HAD FOUND HIS WAY THROUGH AND HE WAS HAPPY.

WE TAKE CONSOLATION FROM THIS, FROM KNOWING HE WAS CONTENT.




4.
WE ALSO TAKE CONSOLATION FROM THE SUPPORT OF OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND FROM THE INCREDIBLE KINDNESS AND GENEROSITY OF OUR NEW NEIGHBOURS.

AND FROM KNOWING THAT MATT WILL NO LONGER HAVE TO FIGHT HIS BATTLE WITH THE BLACK MONKEY OF HIS EPILEPSY.

SO WE CAN SAY GOODBYE TO MATT

Close curtains

KNOWING HE LEAVES A GREAT VOID IN OUR LIVES, KNOWING WE WILL NEVER FORGET HIM, AND THAT IN OUR MINDS AND IN OUR MEMORIES HE WILL TO QUOTE BOB DYLAN ‘STAY, FOREVER YOUNG’

MATT IF YOU’RE LISTENING.
YOUR MOTHER’S SORRY SHE NEVER MADE YOU THE CHEESECAKE.
LUCY PROMISES TO PLAY THE SAXAPHONE FOR YOU.
YOU WERE THE BEST BIG BROTHER.
WE ALL WISH WE’D HAD JUST ONE MORE HUG.
I WAS JUST SO PROUD OF YOU.

THIS LAST PIECE OF MUSIC, PAOLO NUTINI’S NEW SHOES, SUMS UP MATT PERFECTLY. SHORT ON MONEY, LONG ON TIME, THAT WAS MATT. BUT AS LONG AS YOU HAD A PAIR OF NEW SHOES, OR A NEW SHIRT OR PAIR OF JEANS THE WORLD WAS ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR COMING, MATT WOULD HAVE BEEN OVERWHELMED.

Paolo Nutini Track 6 New Shoes.

FINIS.