It is with a very heavy heart that the family of Matthew Russell Brown must announce his departure from this earth. Though (at the young age of only 41) it feels way too early for all of us to be saying goodbye, the family is fully trusting in God's plan and we encourage anyone who reads this to do the same. Matthew 5:4 reminds us that "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." 

As someone with such an infectious laugh, inviting smile, and huge personality we are not surprised that word has traveled so fast around the loss of our "MB". Matt was a very private person when it came to his health, but in an effort to bring some comfort & closure to all of his treasured friends and family we want to share that he had a pre-existing heart condition that he held pretty close to the vest.  They believe the cardiac event that he suffered on/around June 19th was very quick. We are all still processing his loss in our own way and literally taking things minute-by-minute but unfortunately the world can't just stop with us. Many of you have asked how you can help, so we decided to use this donation platform to create a place to give whatever you can for the family to allocate accordingly. The reality is that Matt didn't have a life insurance policy, and no one in the family expected to lose him so soon, so the expenses are already beginning to add up. His parents and 3 sisters will be using the funds for his cremation and a proper celebration of life, which is what MB would have wanted.

In an effort to give everyone time to get their affairs in order and to plan the home-going party that Matt deserves, the family is looking at a tentative date around the 1st week of August. With that said, outside of a monetary donation, if you or someone you know in the Champaign-Urbana area are able to donate items like food, venue, t-shirts, DJ, etc. for his celebration of life, please reach out to his sister Aeva directly, as every bit of help we can get will be greatly appreciated! The love and support received so far has reminded us that there is still good in the world and let us know just how much Matt touched the lives of the people he knew.

Please keep in mind that when donating you will be given the option to leave a "tip" which goes directly to the Give-A-Hand platform so that they can continue to provide this service for free (without taking a huge percentage like some other platforms). With that said please only give what you can and absolutely keep the prayers coming.