(The name, Matthew, means “Gift of God.”)
Matthew Lawrence Pool was born October 4, 1992, in Riverside, CA. He is the son of Larry and Gigi (Jean) Pool, and oldest of 3 children. His sister, Danielle, is 3 years younger, and Natalie is 5 years younger. Matthew grew up in the hometown of Corona, CA where he spent the entirety of his childhood and teenage years.
Throughout Elementary school, Matthew found joy in playing little league baseball. If he wasn’t playing in an organized team, he was playing with his sister, cousins, or the neighborhood boys in the street. He spent much of his childhood outside playing sports, swimming in the pool, or playing handball.
Around the time Matthew reached Jr. High school, he discovered his love for rock and roll and the guitar. His father Larry, bought him his first guitar, a Fender replica which they modified together to look and sound like Eddie Van Halen’s signature guitar, the “Frankenstrat.” Matt was hooked on guitar and devoted many hours each day to practice. On weekends and during school breaks he played all day everyday in his bedroom, and learned most of what he knew from his dad. At a young age, it was evident that Matthew had a divine gift on the strings. He went on to have a total of 6 guitars, each unique in character and sound.
On February 2, 2008, Matthew attended a Harvest Christian Fellowship winter retreat where he accepted Jesus Christ into his life as his Lord and Savior. He regularly attended church and weekly bible studies, and learned various worship songs on the acoustic guitar. He had a servant’s heart and was always radiating positivity. Matthew’s favorite Bible verse was Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
In high school, Matthew helped by working as a backstage hand in his sisters’ theatre productions for CAT (Christian Arts and Theatre), where he quickly became a part of the CAT family. Matthew made friends with everyone involved in putting on the productions, from those young and old. It wasn’t long before he was auditioning for roles in the shows alongside his friends and sisters. He typically played the comedic relief characters, which suited him perfectly. He even won the coveted “spotlight award” for stealing the spotlight in one of the shows.
In his senior year, Matthew auditioned for Santiago High School’s talent competition. Matthew passed the audition and went on to compete with other well rounded and talented students for the titles of Mr. or Mrs. Shark (The school’s mascot). In a school of over 4,000 students, there was a lot of talent. Matthew performed Eddie Van Halen’s, “Eruption” on the guitar and won the competition, becoming Santiago High School’s Mr. Shark 2011. He later graduated high school in May of 2011.
The summer after his graduation was just like any other. It was filled with pool parties, bonfires, and friendships. However, things changed drastically for Matthew when he became ill and it was discovered he had severe ulcerative colitis.
Matthew was in and out of the hospital during the next couple of years and sometimes spent over a month at a time hospitalized. One year, Matthew spent the entire Christmas and New Year holiday at Kaiser Riverside. After nothing appeared to help Matthew, he underwent multiple surgeries over the years. When nothing worked, a final surgery completely removed his colon. Matthew learned how to live with a colostomy bag.
Matthew’s plan before he became ill was to go into law enforcement like his father, but because of his illness he struggled with addiction for 6 years. He made many friends in Narcotics Anonymous who loved and supported him to the end. He chose the path to work in door-to-door sales with solar and window installation companies. His genuine charm and personality allowed him to excel in this industry.
In the last few years of Matthew’s life he worked to reconnect with his cousins, aunts and uncles. Growing up in a half-Italian family was very important to him and he loved being around his family.
Though his life was cut short, God knew Matthew was weary from life’s challenges and obstacles, yet he remained hopeful and positive to the end.
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