Please indulge me here for a minute guys. I don't "Do Face Book" so I am posting this here, this being a Florida based motorcyclist site there is a chance someone will read this and realize we both know Matt.
I met and became friends with Matt Stahlin in 1993 through racing motocross together down here in South Florida. Matt grew up in the Margate/Coral Springs area and his parents Ken and Linda Stahlin are life long motorcycle riders. As a youngster Matt was a champion three wheel racer. He later went on to switch to quads and then motocross bikes, giving the pro's a run for their money in both.
Matt formerly was employed by the Miami Dade County Fire Department, Palm Beach Fire Rescue and most recently the city of Greeneville, TN. as a Fireman.
I cannot imagine Matt having an enemy in the world unless maybe it was girl related from our younger days.
He is just one of those guys that is good looking, works his butt off and can do most anything. And, he just seemed to do everything for everybody. I imagine that most everyone the knows Matt counts him among their best of friends, me included.
I last saw Matt on May 21st, 2011 when Gary (Zarticus) and I went to visit him for day during the V4 Spring Get Together as he lives 105 miles north of our camp. I needed a tire for the 83' Mag and Matt had agreed to meet us at the Honda dealer 15 minutes from his house to pick the tire up for me and we were to install it back at his house. I went in for a new tire and came out with the new 2010 ST1300 instead.
When I returned to his house with the new bike, Matt took his son Wyatt around the block and came back grinning. He loved my new bike and as every good thing that happened to me, he was happy for me. During our friendship Matt and I shared our love of Motorcycles, cars and girls
and as we grew up, our families. He is a four or five years younger than me and the little brother that I never had. His mother once commented to me that she was glad we were friends because I was young enough to have fun with him but old enough to have some maturity to help guide him and I have never forgotten that!
Matt was born with a heart defect and had two previous surgeries. Last night at approx. 10:20p he called me to say that he was in the hospital for two days and had ruptured something in a lung and they found an aneurysm in his aorta. They were contemplating the next step and when he might have another surgery. As we were talking he started to choke and I could barely hear him say; "I gotta go, I gotta go". His cell called me just a little before 7:30am this morning and in my mind I was already hearing him say something to the effect that he had another episode and the next step was................ Instead it was his father who said; "Jamie, this is Ken Stahlin and Matty is gone".
Matt leaves behind his sister, parents, his beautiful wife Heather and two adorable young kids in Wyatt and Piper.
I need to call tonight to find out what the arrangements are but I am pretty sure I'll be riding the ST to TN this weekend for one last bike outing that includes Matt.
Go Big or Go Home Matt, I love you my brother and our lives will never be the same with out you.
