Monsters for Matt

Matt arrived wearing a Hawaiian shirt and holding a Fiji mermaid. “I made this! I love to make stuff.” He was also 20 minutes early, which freaked me out! I always tried to arrive before anyone else to set up and ultimately greet our applicants as they arrived. Instead, he helped me unload cases of water and told me why he was applying to RED VEIN Haunted House.

From that point on, Matt was part of our family. And it’s important to stress that… our family. He was involved in EVERYTHING we did and an essential part of our lives. He showed up (uninvited) to builds, and we are so thankful he never left. He pranked us constantly, licked everything, and gave of himself endlessly.

Without Matt, our escape room would NEVER have opened on time, let alone before October. He worked with me for 12+ hour days, doing odd jobs, calming nerves, and helping us reach our deadline. He became a much-needed mediator, coach, and manager at our haunted attraction. He might've even escorted you out if you were too scared or having a panic attack… He was the one that checked on you and made sure you were safe. Our own boy scout!

Matt has left a positive mark on your life if you were fortunate enough to meet him at any of our events. He has a fantastic ability to see a need and find a way to fill it. With laughter, good temperament, level-headedness, and clear intentions, Matt will 100% do whatever he can in his power to help you or anyone that needs it. He also has the absolute BEST stories! Did you hear about the monkey in Venezuela? Or maybe the 101 things he licked on a cross-country trip? Well, you must have heard about the time he married a couple at the World’s Largest Ball of Twine dressed as Elvis?!?

Anyone can say, “I have a great idea… you know what we should do???” But Matt says, “I have a great idea; I’d really like to make sure the kids at the children’s hospital can have an opportunity to celebrate Halloween. They deserve it too. So I’ve made some contacts and ordered some games and costume pieces. Here's what we need to do next..." Matt just made it happen! He was never afraid to ask questions, dig deeper, or try something new. He would make you feel at home anywhere. He made sure everyone had a place they felt welcomed, safe and included.

When the world shut down, Matt made the most of it. He traveled the country and ultimately decided to open a shop in Kansas, adjacent to the world’s largest ball of twine. He had an idea! He saw a need! He sent us a picture of a building for sale and we instantly knew our worlds would be changing. Next stop: CAWKER CITY! He opened the coolest shop in this tiny town and has become their catalyst for change, growth, and excitement! Matt opening Eyegore’s Odditorium and Monster Museum was his destiny and absolutely the most perfect decision for him. But we had to let our little baby leave the nest… and it was tough. But man, do we love to see him thrive!

But that wasn’t the only life-changing decision made during his travels. Recently, he tied the knot… literally with the ball of twine behind him and his new wife, Julie. After taking part in the trip together, they realized they had found their soulmates, packed up in Richmond, and moved to Kansas to start this incredible new opportunity together. Seeing this union and their love for each other felt perfect, effortless and right. This ode to Matt doesn’t fully encapsulate Matt's crazy, wild, quirky side. He’s nuts! And it takes a special person to compliment that. Julie is the peanut butter to his banana and bacon Elvis sandwich. It’s what makes it complete.

Nothing makes you feel more helpless than seeing a need and NOT being able to fix it. Recently, Matt was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic pancreatic cancer. Yeah, I don't fully understand all of it either, but it's not good. However, what IS good is that Matt and Julie are working with doctors and have developed a treatment plan. Optimistically, he will be undergoing chemo treatment. And that, my friends, is why we have brought you to this GoFundMe page ....(this is where you, dear reader, say “AS I SUSPECTED!” in your best Matt voice). We HAVE to help! Matt would help us. He would give us the Hawaiian shirt off his back if we needed it! Our goal is to alleviate treatment costs and keep Matt around for many more stories. And for the record, the story about Kit-kat the destroyer hitting him with a chair is a complete fabrication and definitely not the cause of his cancer.

This account of the many ways Matt has touched our lives is a bit skewed. He’s not just our incredible friend we love with all our hearts; he is also an amazing husband, a fantastic dad, and a soon-to-be quirky grandpa… But wait! THERE'S MORE! If you’ve read this, you’ve also been impacted by this one-of-a-kind character. He's so much to so many! Maybe you passed through his shop? Or were you one of his patients on the night shift? Grown up with him? Are you Matt’s mom?!? Were you in the pit together at a GWAR show? Have you seen his art in our gallery and heard some of the stories? Matt has become even more to an endless amount of weirdos who love him. Really… he’s a legend!

If you're able to share, donate and/or sacrifice babies in his honor, please do. (Disclaimer: DO NOT SACRIFICE BABIES! It's a joke. Matt likes jokes too, but he also likes babies. Literally only good juju, people.)

With lots of love, spider licks, killer turkeys and jack-o-lanterns,

Kitty and Ryan