Matthew Cheek

Richard Matthew Cheek, age 19, of 418 Randall Street, Apt. 7, Greenville, SC, died Tuesday, October 24, 2006, at the Greenville Memorial Hospital in Greenville.

Born in Anderson, S.C. on June 19, 1987, Matthew was a son of Christopher Matthew Cheek and Cathy Burnette Chamblee, both of Anderson, S.C. He was a student at Greenville Technical College, and attended Gap Hill Baptist Church in Six Mile, S.C. He volunteered at South Fant Early Childhood Development Center, where he was named volunteer of the year for two years, and loved sharing his passion of love and life with the children. He wanted to be remembered by his testimony, "I was a strong person and fought my Cystic Fibrosis, staying optimistic and outgoing, always trying to do my best and to be the best person I could be."

He is survived by his father, Christopher Matthew Cheek; his mother, Cathy Burnette Chamblee; stepmother, Maria Osborne Cheek; brothers, Marty Ricketts, Jamie Bowman and Tyler Bowman; sisters, Marie Ricketts and Mandy Bowman; grandparents, Richard and Hazel Burnette, all of Anderson, S.C.

His grandparents, Sam Cheek and Linda Kelly Cheek; and his Na-Na, Melissa Cheek; preceded him in death.

The Funeral Service will be held on Friday, October 27, 2006, at 3:30 p.m., in the Chapel of The McDougald Funeral Home, officiated by the Reverend Dr. Boyce Whitman. Interment will follow in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Anderson, S.C.

The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Thursday, October 26, 2006, from 6 to 8 p.m.

The family will be at the home of his father, Christopher Cheek, 115 Cedar Road, Anderson, S.C., and at the home of his grandparents, Richard and Hazel Burnette, 602 Cheyenne Street, Anderson, S.C.

A message of condolence may be sent to the family by visiting www.mcdougaldfuneralhome.com

The McDougald Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.