'How do you function': Parents talk of the death of their son in Green Memorial Day parade
Matthew died May 26 after falling off a parade trailer during the Green Memorial Day parade. The memorial stone for Matthew at Queen of Heaven Catholic Church in Green won't tell you the tragic details of the accident, or the painful details of his family's recovery.
It's a story of grief and faith, family and community, whispered by every stone engraved for a child who died far too young.
In the background, the sounds of children playing on a nearby field filtered through as they spoke.
Two months after Matthew fell, his parents said they are still processing, still looking for a return to a routine although things will never be the same again.
"How do you survive? How do you function?" Jennifer said.
One way to begin is to accept that Matthew, they said, is in a better place.
"He wanted to be famous, but he also wanted to get to heaven and be with God," Daniel said.
Star Wars, Legos and a smile for a friend
Jennifer said Matthew was born with a condition called tetralogy of Fallot, comprised of four issues in the structure of the heart.
'He had four procedures throughout his life at the Cleveland Clinic," Daniel said.
His last was Christmas Eve, five months before the parade. Prior to the procedure in December, Matthew was characteristically mischievous.
"He liked to pull pranks," Daniel said. "(He was) joking around with us and his grandparents."
Jennifer said Matthew loved martial arts, but was constrained in sports by his condition. Overexertion or contact sports like football were off the table.
His mother said Matthew's condition also limited his stamina and he was affected by weather extremes.
Still, he was a positive child who loved to play Star Wars and Legos, his father said.
"If he knew a friend was having a hard day, he would reach out to his friend with a smile," he said.
Matthew and his 9-year-old sister Sophia were close, and their relationship was a classic brother-sister one, Jennifer said.
"They drove each other crazy, but were each other's best friends," she said.
"He was a better person than me," his father said.
'I still ask God every day, "What is your will for us?" '
Daniel and Jennifer Schultz said nothing could prepare them for the event on May 26.
They've had to take it step by step, relying on family, friends, their North Canton parish and the wider community for support.
The Rev. David R. Durkee, pastor at Queen of Heaven, approached them early, and an anonymous donor provided for the memorial stone in the memory garden.
At North Canton Middle School, Matthew's schoolmates plastered hundreds of Post-it notes, pictures and handwritten notes on his locker.
A Gofundme raised more than $100,000 for the Schultz family.
"It truly takes a village to raise a child, and we're fortunate to have that," Jennifer said.
But the questions still come, the grief lingers.
"It solidified my faith, but I still ask God every day, 'What is your will for us?' " Jennifer said.
A passage from the Catholic Bible in Wisdom of Solomon, Chapter 4:12, provided some solace, Daniel said. It was read at Matthew's funeral.
"But the righteous, even if they die early, will be at rest," the passage begins.
'His story is not over, yet'
Two months after their world changed forever, Matthew's parents say they hope that time, counseling and memories of their son will help lay the path for a sense of normalcy. It helps that school for Matthew's sister starts in August, they said.
"The new routine will start to come," Daniel said.
They've been blessed with employers who permitted a leave of absence, they said.
"Neither of us has been back to work yet," Daniel said.
That will come with the new routine they're building day by day. That, and a sense that Matthew's presence is still with them.
"His story is not over, yet," said his father.
Leave a message for Alan Ashworth at 330-996-3859 or email him at aashworth@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @newsalanbeaconj or Facebook at www.facebook.com/alan.newsman.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Parents reflect on son, 13, who died in Green Memorial Day parade
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