RING, Matthew R.
Paw Paw Matthew Richard Ring, 35, of Paw Paw, MI passed away tragically on October 6, 2010.
Born May 20, 1975, in Tampa FL, he grew up in Martinsburg, WV and moved to Port Orange, FL in 1998 to attend the American Marine Institute. Matt graduated 2nd in his class and was certified as a Marine Mechanic. It was while attending school in Florida that he met the love of his life, Jessica. Matt and Jess moved to Kalamazoo, MI in 2000 and were married at a poolside ceremony in 2002. Matt worked at Gull Lake Marine as a boat mechanic from 2001 to 2005. While there he met many wonderful people and made great friends. He opened his own marine service business in 2006, Ring's Mobile Marine, servicing boats and hauling racing sailboats to and from Miami, FL in the winter months. In September of 2007, Matt was offered and accepted his "Dream Job", working on vintage and classic automobiles for Off Bros. Car Collection. Matt was the head mechanic for Off Bros. where he serviced and repaired museum vehicles and transported them for display in car shows and tours across the country. He was passionate about his job and loved what he did. He took great pride while working for Off Bros and loved his co-workers and employers. Matt had many hobbies which included 4-wheeling in Baldwin, MI and riding his dune buggy at Silver Lake with his friends. He enjoyed playing with his 2 dogs Story and Fable and loved animals in general. Matt was passionate about his Harley Davidson motorcycle and spent every chance he could riding it. He loved to travel and thanks to his job was able to experience once in a lifetime opportunities that he was very proud of and honored to do. Matt was a gentle, soft spoken man with a heart of gold and was always the first to offer a helping hand to anyone he met. He also had a great sense of humor and could make anyone laugh easily. He was beloved by all he knew and will be sorely missed. Matt is survived by his loving wife Jessica Ring of Paw Paw, MI, parents Nelson and Rebecca Ring of Martinsburg, WV, Sister Charl Snodgress of WV, Brother Tim Shoemaker of WV, extended family and many, many friends. A Memorial Service for family and friends will be held on Saturday, October 16, 2010 at Off Bros. Car Collection, located at 12278 East D Ave., Richland, MI 49083. Visitation will be open at 12:00 PM with the Service starting at 1:00 PM. Donations may be sent to Matt's favorite charity, Second Chance Dobes, P.O. Box 581, Clinton, MI 49236,
www.secondchacedobes.com
. Arrangements by Langeland Family Funeral Homes, Memorial Chapel, 622 S. Burdick St. Please visit
www.langelands.com
for online obituary, register book and condolences. 343-1508 "Just when life seems to be too overwhelming, we are given an example of stoic strength, selfless devotion, and hope that we can overcome anything that life throws at us. Matt touched everyone he met in one way or another."