Obituary of Matthew Allen Gaines, Sr.

MATTHEW ALLEN GAINES, SR was born on July 15, 1942, in Trenton, New Jersey, the son of Edward Matthew Morton and Grace Regina Gaines. Growing up in Bordentown, NJ, Matt's life was surrounded by his brothers and sisters that he shared his young experiences with, and would shape the type of character in him that followed him throughout his life. Matt was educated and graduated from William MacFarland High School in Bordentown, NJ, 14 June 1960. From there, he joined the United States Air Force by the gentle persuasion of his uncles – according to him. He spent time in assignments at Honolulu, Hawaii, and Shaw AFB in Sumter, SC, where he ultimately met the mother of his children – Juanita Marie Taylor. Matt and Juanita had five children; Matthew Jr., Edward, Valerie, Martha, and Eric. He was a loving father who cared deeply about his children, always encouraging but raising them the 'old school' way. For anyone who knows what that means – great! Matt served a short term in the USAF, and according to him, learned some valuable lessons but, decided to leave and pursue other career endeavors. He started out working in a glass factory, then tried his hand at being a NJ State Police officer, but ultimately found his passion and career in long distance, truck driving; that's where his ultimate journey continued. He drove through and delivered to almost every state in the U.S., took many pictures, met many people, dealt with the ups and downs of the business but, one thing never changed, and that was his love for driving and experiencing new things. His energy and incentive to persevere through the tough times was the desire to take care of his family. Many times, when he had the opportunity, he would take his sons on some of his trucking adventures to spend time and share his experiences with them. At the end of each week, he would always make it home to spend time with family, which he truly loved just as much as his driving. He picked up a few names over his life time like 'Gate', because he said that some of his uncles said he was wide, and in his driving career, he picked up the handle – 'Heavy', probably for the same reason. In his spare time, Matt would love to do things like shoot pool and play card games like Spades, Gin Rummy, Bid Whist, Tonk, all the old-school fun! Anywhere there was a card game, he was there! He loved great music, blues, jazz, and great food – the simple things in life, never wanting to be overt, out-front, and flashy. He made many friends over his career, in the military and throughout his truck driving career and in every space, he created life-long relationships that he kept in touch with to the very end. In Matt's retirement, he began to reflect on his experiences and chat with family and friends often about all of his adventures, experiences, and lessons learned. He enjoyed life in his own way and will be always be loved and remembered. Life is a collection of experiences, good and bad, that make up who you are and who you're remembered by. Matt collected those experiences well; he wasn't flashy and overt, he was a person who was always willing to help anyone, and be there for anyone in his circle of life.