Matthew Adams

“Life is life,” Matthew once wrote. “Everybody should be open to the world, and all it has to offer is infinite knowledge and experiences. You only got one chance to live it.”

Matthew Ryan Adams lived an extraordinary life before and as a Marine: with honor, courage, and commitment—from his first breath on July 25th 2000 to his last on January 14th 2020. Matthew was bold, brave, adventurous, fun, and fearless.

As an adventurous two year old, his mother was often called to the neighbors’ homes to get him off their roofs. His goal was to always be at the highest vantage point to better see the world that he loved living in. Nothing was going to keep him on the ground. When he broke his leg at age twelve and was in a cast from hip to toes, he’d turn his crutches upside down and walked on them like stilts—cast and all.

He was intuitively creative and possessed a limitless imagination. He was always developing new games and antics that included everyone in the fun. He made sure everyone had an important part to play. Matthew always saw the best in people: he loved others as they were, met people in their emotional space and loved them, was quick to forgive and slow to condemn, gave the benefit of the doubt, and thought the best of everyone.

He was a hero in every way. He was a model Marine and an exceptional human being. He embodied the Marines’ Core Values for his whole life.

He was greeted in heaven by loving grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. He is survived by his parents Benjamin and Angela, his brothers David, Samuel, and Johnathan—and many more friends and family, including grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins who miss him greatly and take solace in the knowledge that they will see him again.

Matthew has been treated with dignity and care by the Marines. We are forever grateful for their service. Thank you to this wonderful community for their continued support of Matthew’s family.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, February 1st, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 135 East 2000 South, Orem, Utah.  Viewings will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, January 31st at Sundberg-Olpin Mortuary, 495 South State Street, Orem, and on from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the church on Saturday, prior to the services.  Interment will be in the Orem City Cemetery immediately following funeral services.

In lieu of flowers there is a memorial fund set up to help bring Matthew home to Utah from California.
Donations can be made to the Matthew Adams Memorial Fund
Wells Fargo Account # 5674727325, Routing Number 124002971
Or by venmo @David-Adams75

Condolences may be expressed to the family on this page.