COMMENTS FROM OUR CHURCH FAMILY...
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Matthew had the ability to relate to everyone of all ages. He always made you feel special. I loved to hear him play the piano as I knew we had a connection in that respect, especially the classics. Always a smile and I will treasure the last day that I got to stand with him on Mothers Day (2006) with my arm around him as you prayed. His hugs I will always remember along with everything sweet and kind about him. He was a treasure that I am thankful that I had the privilege to know.
He is healed, Linda S. (Cumming, GA, a dear friend of our family)
I remember when I was little after church we all went to Caruso's. It was so fun. All the kids would sit at a table, then all the adults would sit at the "adult table". The teenagers would sit by themselves. At the kids table Matthew would be the head of the table along with Alisha. They were King and Queen. Andrew, Kimmy, Stevie and I would be the Prince and Princesses. We would always get pizza, because our parents wouldn't let us order. So we would be proper and eat our pizza with forks and knives. It was so fun, we'd talk like we lived in the 1800's. We did this every time we went there, until we got to old to play this game.
Love Always, Sarah C. (member of Berea Church, long time family friend)
I am speechless. Words just can't do it.
We have all lost a wonderful son and there is no way to describe the pain Matthew's family has experienced. All of you, including Matthew before he left us, has been wrapped in prayers and you still are.
Have many memories of Matthew, especially his warm smile and hug...but what I remember the most was, before I knew I had low blood sugar, and sometimes did minor weird things. We were at the coffee pot just before service.
We were chatting and instead of putting creamer and sugar in my coffee, I put in 2 creamers.
With his warm and loving smile, he put his arm around me and said, "don't worry Miss Peggy, I won't tell anyone." Then we both cracked up. I am grateful for the time we knew one another. In this day and age when the world's youth lean towards paths of drugs and material things, Matthew always walked tall and was a wonderful example of a young man who walked with the Lord.
Love to all of you and many prayers to help you during this intense time of grief.
Peggy Hoynes
Dearest Ray and Anita,
Beau and I never had the pleasure of really fully knowing Matthew. But we feel a deep loss as though we have lost one of our own family. I guess because he is, in a sense, a member of our Godly family. We will always carry with us what he taught us. I never realized I would learn so much from someone who I hardly knew, and someone who was so young! It's funny how that works huh! Matthew has been courageous throughout his entire fight with this illness. And through it all was completely selfless. He cared more about being with the people he loved and the people who loved him about himself. People all over the world know who Matthew is, and he has touched more lives than you guys will ever know. I can not begin to imagine how many people's hearts are going out to you right now for your tremendous loss. And at the same time praising God for not making Matthew suffer any further and taking him "HOME". I will be honest, when I saw you had mailed this morning, my heart sunk, I wasn't sure why, but I kind of knew. I ache for your family. Although, when I opened the mail and my fears were confirmed, I almost felt a sort of sense of peace for Matthew. His time on this sin-filled earth in a
diseased body with struggle and pain is over. He is finally where he belongs. I think the Lord let us keep Matthew for the past 17 months for a reason, to touch everyone whom he has touched. If the Lord had taken him back then, then so many people would not have come to know the
Lord through Matthew's story. I may be sooo wrong in that assumption, but that is what I would like to think, so I will! You and Anita have raised a beautiful family. You taught Matthew to be that selfless person, that loving person, and to be strong and ever faithful in the midst of trials. Please know that who Matthew IS, is a direct reflection of who you are and what you two taught him about love and God. I will not keep you any longer. Please know you are in are hearts and our prayers. Do Not hesitate should you need anything at all.
Love and Prayers, God Bless
Beau and Carrie
I am feeling so many emotions right now and I am horrible at writing but will try to put in words the joy I felt around Matt.
When I first met him I saw his wonderful sense of humor. I asked him if I should call him Matthew or Matt...he told me Matt. He said his Mom calls him Matthew but you can call me Matt. Matt said to me "Woah! That's a cool shirt!" to what I was wearing. He also said he loved what my wife was wearing and how beautiful she was..he then said how beautiful we both were. I told him, no she's the beautiful one, I'm just trying to fit in with her. We laughed and I could tell he has a gift for making others feel right at home when talking to him. We just seemed to click that Sunday that we met. We talked that Sunday after church for awhile about a lot of things. He had his phone on him and when he couldn't remember a name he'd go to that phone. I told him he has ALOT of friends (lady friends especialy) I jokingly called him a pimp. He smiled really big and we kept talking about all of his friends.
After telling him about my Father having the same exact tumor he was able to see that I knew to some degree what he was going through. And we laughed about some of the frustrations that happens. One of those frustrations they both (my father and Matt) go through was when he tries to say something and can't think of the word and others (out of trying to help) will spit words out for him to try and help only to find out those weren't the words he was looking for. We laughed a lot about that as he was telling me about it. I told him its cool and not to worry about it..He knew they are just trying to help but it was still funny to us both.
He showed me the Dean's # from Vandy. We laughed about that too after I told him he is "the man" to be hanging with the Dean! We went to lunch on that following Tuesday and I could tell that he wanted me to feel comfortable and brought his good friend (I am blanking on her name although she was female) It's amazing to me to see his heart and ability to make others feel comfortable around him. Concerned more about others than himself. During lunch he appologized for not talking more but he just LOVED the food. I laughed and told him it's ok, eat away. He was talking about that food the rest of the day! It was awesome. during the ride back he gave me a quick tour of Vandy and we were talking a lot about music. I told him the style of music I was now going to pursue (Frank Sinatra) and he remembered a CD he downloaded and described the color of the CD to a tee. It was Michael Buble. I had it in my car so we put it on. Matt was singing with the CD and doing very well. I told him "Go ahead Matt! You can sing dude!" He was closing his eyes and just jamming to the song. It was awesome. He knew the "hits" from the drums and where the trumpets came in which I can appreciate being brought up around a family of musicians. I told him his memory seems better than mine. He kept singing that song..it was great!
When we got back to the room, Matt showed me his MP3 player(I think that's what it was) with all of his songs on it..we went through the list of songs. He played a wide variety of songs with a few being the hit songs of today. He again knew all of the words and started moving(dancing) to one of the songs by the Black Eyed Peas. He had me cracking up as he was having a blast dancing to the beat of that song! He then told me his favorite song at the time was a song by the group "Fort Minor" and played it for me. It has a bad word in it and I said we can't play that, what if your mom walks in! He said, if she does, I'll turn it off. I must admit, In my head I was chuckling realizing the kid in Matthew. Here he is a mature believer going through all of this stuff, but he is also a kid. I thought it was cute to a certain degree. I love how he is REAL. I know that as a believer, we must be REAL with ourselves to be able to grow and I saw that in Matt.
By this time my meter had expired along time ago but I didn't really care, I was just enjoying watching Matt have fun. He was telling me how excited he was to get this new BlueTooth thing for his phone. I told him to call me anytime because I get bored delivering pizza's all day..he said he gets bored too sometimes and would. We talked alot on the phone after that.
I love Matt and am so thankful for his walk and his parents. You both are amazing people. Mr. Prince, thanks so much for all of your updates all the time! You have helped me so much more than you know. I went through all the things you wrote on your website and you truly have a gift for writing down your true feelings. Knowing that I'm going through the same thing but with my dad, you have helped me see it's ok to feel the things I feel! It's ok to be real. I cannot tell you how many times people used to tell me "trust in the Lord" and it bugged me so much because although we need to trust, we also need to cry with those who cry. I can't thank you enough for that. Both of your love for the Lord and Matthew is so evident it is amazing. Although I am sad, I also rejoice and am very thankful that Matthew is healed now in Heaven with our Heavenly Father.
Thanks so much for your dilegence for the Lord. I have been praying, and will continue to pray for you both for years to come.
Love, Jonathan Lippman (CBC, Nashville)
(Jonathan, note the picture of you and Ruth speaking to Matthew that last Sunday at CBC in the link to the snapfish.com site.)
(This from Ruth, Jonathan’s wife)
I'm not sure what to say. On one hand, I know you are grieving for the loss of your precious son, and on the other hand, I know that you are rejoicing and giving Him praise that Matthew is with the Lord.
Matthew is home and he's where I long to be - with the Lord.
My most precious memory with Matthew is when Jonathan and I saw him last, last Sunday at CBC, and I looked at Matthew, with tears in my eyes, and he gave both Jonathan and I the "thumbs up". It made me smile, as all three of us had our thumbs up, because it was like Matthew had peace about everything and he had placed his trust in the Lord. It was so comforting to me, as well as encouraging. I will always have that vivid picture in my mind about how I'll remember Matthew. Matthew didn't say anything, but he didn't have to. His look and his thumbs up said it all.
Again, thank you so much for selflessly bringing Matthew to CBC for one last time last Sunday. I can't express how much that meant to Jonathan and I, and the whole church.
If there's anything we can do to minister to you at all, please let us know. We will keep you in our prayers, that the angels, as well as your friends and family will minister to you lovingly in your time of need.
Ruth Lippman
For this morning, let me just say that watching Matthew over the last year or so cope with such grace through all the trials he faced touched me like nothing since reading "Shadow of the Almighty" and "Through Gates of Splendor." I'm not sure why he put me in mind so much of Jim Elliot. Maybe it was his youth, the wisdom beyond his years, his unswerving commitment to serving his Lord and Saviour no matter what the cost, or the curious blend of gentle humility with courage and resolve. Probably all of the above. The most remarkable thing about the way he lived his life is that he never gave the impression that it was all about him. Always modest, always focused on others and on duty (never mind the chemo, he had a test coming up next week) over the vicissitudes of life, for he served an immutable, sovereign God, and rested in His wisdom, love, and grace. Even though he must have faced times of intense physical and emotional anguish, his presentation seemed always to be cheerful, almost matter‑of‑fact, so that those who sought some word of encouragement for him instead came away the more blessed and
encouraged themselves.
I ran across an old article by John Piper the other day, in which he reflected on Psalm 116:15, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." This was soon after the unexpected homegoing of two of his friends and congregants. He observed that "another meaning of the Hebrew word behind 'precious' is 'costly.' Both are true. To us, so costly. To God, so precious." Because of Christ's death, the death of Matthew is robbed of its victory (1 Cor. 15:55). We grieve, but not as those who have no hope. Matthew lived his life according to Philippians 1:21. I look forward to seeing him again. God comfort and sustain you and your precious family during this time, Ray. Carol and I will continue to pray for you.
Perry Stahlman (CBC Nashville)
(NOTE: Carol was one of the CBC ladies who faithfully delivered food to us the whole Spring Semester after Matthew was first diagnosed and while he was undergoing radiation. We have been so blessed by the CBC family, the body of Christ living and serving as He intended).
Dear Ray, Anita, Ashley & Andrew, Matthew was always such an encouragement to us. Even though he was suffering, he was always thoughtful and thankful. His words, "You guys are so amazing", will stick with me. We were trying to encourage and bless him, but the blessing was all ours. In spite of the pain we now have at losing him, we are thankful that God brought Matthew into our lives these past two years. We feel priveleged to have known such a sweet, thoughtful, God-honoring young man. Our memories of him will encourage us and remind us of what is truly important in this life.
We are weeping with you.
With loving thoughts, Sheldon, Stephanie, Scott, Irina & Dmitry
(Note: Stephanie also brought food to us!!!)
Dear Prince Family,
God wanted a pure heart, and that is why he wanted Matthew. I believe he wanted a soul untouched by the world to draw near to him. Matthew, to me, was a bright, driven child of God that didn't conform to the ways of this world, and therefore was worth much in the eyes of our Lord! I almost wanted to smile and wave at him this morning, on my way to work, knowing he is free and flying, and so full of peace and joy; that he could look down on us, and say "This is SO awesome ya'll! I wish you could see it!" There will be a spot in our hearts that will always long to see Matthew, to talk with him about Vandy, to laugh about his hair, to hear him play the piano just one more time. I think we will have much more to talk about in heaven.
God Bless you Ray, Anita, Ashley and Andrew. For life indeed will seem strange without Matthew around! But he will always fill a space in the room. His presence will be with you always. I feel sure he will even speak to you still at times. And you will know he's not gone. Just waiting for you.
I love you all, and pray that God rocks you in his bosom now, as only a Father can.
Love and Prayers, Denise Shoemake
Ray & family,
I've prayed and grieved over Matthew's condition the last several months as I have read the updates. Kathy cut my hair last Friday and told me that Matthew was in hospice care. I did not realize that he would be gone this soon. This is the first time I've checked my email since about 10 days ago. Sorry for my lack of communication through the years since I've left Dahlonega. You were my family away from home for those few years I was there. You've all made a lasting impact on my life & mean so much to me. I'm so sorry for your loss. Here are some brief thoughts that linger about Matthew.
What a brilliant mind Matthew had! I know his brain tumors might have slowed his abilities for awhile, but I know he's free to use that sharp mind in a way he never was able to before. He was always so thirsty for knowledge, and I'm confident that he is now able to learn about things and actively know things that he never imagined! I remember how he liked to look out the window and indentify birds. (It was probably a home school assignment at one time.) One of his favorites seemed to be the Indigo Bunting. Because of sharing that time with him, it has also become one of my favorites & I have thought of him every time I've seen one for the past several years. I'm sure that will never fade. He was also someone who strived for perfection in a lot of the things that he did. I think a sinless environment will be a welcomed place for him. He made the most of
his time on this earth and no doubt knew Christ in a deeper way through his suffering. For that I know the Lord is pleased.
In His grip, Neal Cypher
Dear Pastor and Family,
Matthew fought a good fight! If you even knew Matthew just a little bit, you knew he would do that.. My family has known him since he was a toddler when we started going to Pastor's church. Matthew grew up to be a very remarkable young man; one that any parent could be extremely proud of. He was so friendly; had a great sense of humor, and enjoyed being around
kids his own age as well as adults. Adults enjoyed being around him. He was a brilliant young man, and is probably speaking 3 languages in heaven. I will always remember when he used to bake for our church suppers. He made the most delicious breads! Matthew and I share our birthday, March 10. We would always exchange birthday greetings at church. I remember Matthew saying that the church really threw us a party a few years ago. However, it was in celebration of Mrs. Dowdle's 100th birthday. We just pretended it was for us! Each year on my upcoming birthday, I will celebrate my birthday, and also celebrate Matthew's outstanding life with a special prayer for him. His testimony and courage have impacted many people. I will always hold him dear to my heart and keep his memory alive.
Diane Crow and family
Pastor Prince, Anita, Ashley, and Andrew,
May you take comfort that our citizenship is in heaven ,and we can set our mind on things above and not on things on this earth. We love you and share your grief. May the Lord surround you with His love and grace.
John and Janette Crow
Dear Ray, Anita, and family,
I praise GOD for the blessings Mathew brought to my life. He has always been a joy to be around, his music, smile, happiness, and most importantly his love for our Lord. He will live on in the many precious memories that I will cherish forever. You are all in my prayers.
Love to all, Cyndi Beckworth
Hey Ray, My family and I are so grieved at the news of Matthews passing. I did not know Matthew very well, but I do know you. You have been, and are, such an awesome voice of reason to me personally. Your messages are always comforting and firm. Anyone who hears your messages is aware that you have a great love in your heart for our Lord and that you desire to lead others to Him. It must be wonderful to know that you lead Matthew to His feet. There have been many Sunday mornings that I have come to Church with such a heavy burden on me for one thing or the other and time after time, you always seem to have just the right message for my heart. It seems a secret Word from the Lord, just for me. I know you are probably not in a place emotionally at this moment to understand my thinking, but ever since I heard the news of Matthews passing today, I have been thinking and rejoicing in my heart at what he must be doing and seeing at this moment. Lisa said when her grandmother (that raised her) passed ( she had been very ill for a long time), Lisa was so grieved that she couldn't talk and share with her anymore‑‑but she said she was also so happy for her that she had gone on to be with our Lord and would no longer suffer here with us. Matthew is where we all want to be. He does not walk with a cane anymore. He is not sick anymore. He has already seen his aunt, and other loved ones. He is experiencing what our faith promises. I am so sad for you and your family for not being able to share with Matthew or touch him but, I am so glad he does not hurt anymore. I can't wait to see and live where he is now. We can still delight in our sweet memories of him and we can rest in knowing he is in the loving arms of Jesus right now. And if Matthew is anything like his earthly father (and I know he is), I know he is so grieved to know that we are hurting. We love you Ray. We love you all. Please let our family and the other families of our Church (who love you so dearly) share in this burden during this time by letting us know what we can do to support you
all. Let us take care of you for a change. Whatever you need, please do not hesitate to call on us. No matter how big or small the task. We are here‑‑loving and supporting and praying for you all. Please call on us.
Love in Christ Jesus. Buck, Lisa, Ross Chase and Garrett Wimpy
I don't even know where to begin. When I think of Matthew, I feel his wonderful hugs and bright smile and asking Ms. Debby for her keys so he could bring my car around for me when he started to drive. I think of his incredible talents. Of the love I always felt from him. He will forever be a part of me because he was like one of my children. I guess he was about thirteen when we started going to Berea and I had the priviledge of going on several of the youth trips. Our friendship just grew from that time. It has just been a blessing to have known him. His faith and love for those around him was transparent and beautiful. I am so thankful that we made it back home in time to celebrate his life with all of those who loved him and love all of you.
We love you all and are holding you up in our prayers.
John & Debby
Ray and Anita, Our hearts are heavy tonight as we hear this news, but at the same time are rejoicing that you know where Matthew is and that he is well again. We will not see him for just a very short time then we will all be united with him for eternity. I know God is glad to have such a wonderful young man in His presence. I didn't know Matthew very well, but I made sure I saw him every Sunday and give him a hug and ask him how he was doing. He really was a remarkable young man. We will continue to pray for you and your family. It's wonderful to know that the Lord will take care of you through this difficult time.
Love in Christ, Ray and Debbie Williams
Hi Ray.....I cannot wait to see you and Anita and just put my arms around you. My thoughts are all jumbled up, but I wanted to write little snippets about Matthew that have been swirling around my head all day.....
I will never forget....
seeing Matthew Sunday after Sunday faithfully attending Sunday school and church regardless of how he felt. (contrast that with most college kids, mine included!)
hearing his precious voice on the phone saying "Mrs. Eshelman"! in that inimitable way.
feeling his sweet fingers rubbing my arm when the tumor had taken away his ability to speak well. He used gentle touch to communicate his love.
his noble, courageous, and loving spirit that would not give up.
commenting every week about his natty dressing!
having him over for home fellowship meals. He sure enjoyed good home cooking!
his incredible love for his family, especially his Aunt Diane.
Most of all I will never forget how, in his special way, he inspired me to be the very best person that God created me to be. Life is very precious and must be lived to the fullest for the glory of God. Matthew grasped that even at his young age.
I thank God for Matthew's too-short life that was filled with light and love.
And I love you. See you on Saturday. April Eshelman
I have never had the opportunity to meet such a wonderful young man. Matthew was kind, loving, outgoing, handsome, but most of all godly. I will always, have ingrained in my mind, the year he was in remission. every Sunday, he was in Nashville at church, he would make a b‑line towards April Eshelman and me and I saw him coming and all I could see was this huge, white, bright smile coming our way. A face of an angel, truly! My prayer is that we can all keep those memories in our mind till the day the Lord calls us to see Him, with Matthew at his feet, to greet us! I now have two facts that i know are true. 1. I have no doubt that Matthew is with the Lord. 2. I now have the human model of the man I want my daughter to marry. Mr. and Mrs. Prince, you raised a son that the Lord is being glorified by and we as his friends, have had the privilege of saying, " we have truly know a "prince"!"
Maria Mineo-Ladd and family
Hello Ray, Anita, Ashley, and Andrew:
Our hearts broke as we read the news last night (our time). We were in the middle of prayer night on board when I came to take a phone call. As I sat talking, I checked my email and read your post. The tears began immediately and then we sat in prayer night and wept and prayed and wept. We finally just went to our cabin and talked and cried and prayed and then began looking at photos of our time in Dahlonega. That is when we came across the attached photo. The tears have continued today.
It was good that Tressa was here as well. Matthew and Tressa were baptized together on the same day, when they were four. During our time in Dahlonega, they were best friends. They played together, they were in Sunday School together, they were in musicals together. It was hard on Tressa when we moved from Dahlonega because she lost such a good friend. In fact, it was hard on us all because you are all such good friends to this day.
That is why our hearts a breaking for you now. We love you so much. We cannot imagine the pain and we are hurting because we cannot be there to offer comfort. We long to be with you. Please know that we are lifting you up in prayers. We have often prayed for Matthew as a ships company during our prayer nights this last year and a half. Today, we have also prayed. I have gathered close friends and they have prayed as well.
We love you so very much.
Yours, Rusty Garrison
Pastor,
I can't express how sorry I am. I can't even begin to imagine how you or Anita, and family are feeling. When I heard of Matthew's passing I told Linda now he is whole. I remember when in 1999 when Matthew had this 3D puzzle. I think he may have gotten it for Christmas. He was so very happy he talked about it a lot in Sunday school. He could not wait to show me when he had finished putting it together, so when Berea had my baby shower at your house I finally got to see his master piece. I will always remember Matthew and how happy he was. Also how he was such the little man, always in a suit and tie. I feel honored to have know Matthew and to know what a fine young man he was.
Thank you for all the updates on the web site, it give us a little insight to what he went through, not all but a very small amount. Thank you for continuing to preach every Sunday, for some me included I might have given up. I wish I could do more for you and Anita. I love you and you family.
Vickie Chattin
My Dearest Pastor Prince,
I'm so very sorry to hear about Matthew....I'm shocked I only knew him to be so full of life and so smart...he was a wonderful person...he always made me laugh....I remember so many things about him...now more than ever.....camping trips and youth group meetings him picking me up because I couldn't drive..... I remember lunches after church and our silly inside jokes...I remember the time so long ago when I told him the ending to the movie titanic & we argued about he just couldn't believe that jack died he was the main character and main characters don't die..... especially when they are the good guy.....I remember when he got the opportunity to go to Europe while in middle school...I was so jealous ...I made him tell me all about he warned me not to go to Paris because it smelled.....I remember how we would argue over french pronunciations...& of course he was always right.....I remember how skilled he was at piano & all the Sundays we sang in church together....I remember when we had the Christmas party at church and we sang silent
night together....during practice of the song I told him I can't hear myself right and he told me to plug my hears & it would help me to hear myself clearly....and strange as it may sound it worked.. I use this technique to this very day...it always makes me smile to think of him back then he taught me so many things...I feel blessed being able to have shared so many years growing up with Matthew. his spirit lives on In a place were he will no longer feel pain but be able to watch over the ones he loved so dearly. my thoughts are with you and the rest of the prince family...I love you with all of my heart & I hope to see you again someday soon & as for Matthew I know I'll be seeing you again one day my friend!
Stay strong & God bless, Alisha Dawn Coryell