Matthew David Empey

Matthew "Matt" Empey, 39, born July 14, 1971 in San Jose, CA, died unexpectedly, Thursday, January 6, 2011 in O'Fallon, IL. He attended Argonaut Elementary, Redwood Middle School and Saratoga High School. He played on the Varsity Baseball Team and graduated with honors from Saratoga High. Matt won a scholarship to BYU to study Economics. He wanted to be an airline pilot and also wanted a relatively easy degree. In his junior year, Matt took the US Navy Pilot physical and found he had a depth perception problem, so he switched to medicine. He then had to wait another year to take the MCAT and during that year, he worked on a special research project and won a Researcher of the Year Award. In between his sophomore and junior years, Matt served a two year LDS Mission in Spain. At the conclusion of this service, he was certified by the Spanish Government as an official translator. After some difficult interviews for medical school, Matt was assigned to interview with Dr. Louis West, head of the Neuropsychiatry Department at UCLA. The only question De. West asked Matt was what books he had read. Matt told him that he had just finished reading The Trilogy by Umberto Eco and then Dr. West asked if he had read the original Spanish version. When Matt replied in the affirmative, they spent an hour discussing the book and Matt was admitted to the UCLA School of Medicine on a UC Regents Scholarship. Matt always wanted to be an Emergency Physician, and at the end of hi straining he did not match for a residency. This was a very traumatic few hours for Matt. His mentor found him a slot at the University of Mississippi and Washington University/Barnes Hospital. After a telephone interview with Dr. Dane Chapman, Matt was admitted on the spot. After completing his residency at Barnes in 2005, Matt joined the MEDS family. He worked at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Belleville and St. Mary's in Centralia where he was well-liked and respected by fellow physicians, staff and patients. He unassumingly arrived for his shifts in his blue scrub top and khakis, ready to dive into the craziness of the ER. At work, Matt was gentle, Quiet and patient. He gave his best to help patients, and without question fulfilled his goals of medical ministering. Matt also loved and intellectual challenge and one could see his eyes light up when he pontificated and searched for an evasive diagnosis. He made being an ER doctor look easy. Matt was a brilliant person who loved his family. His nieces and nephews were especially loved and cared for by him. He was always kind and never had a cross word for any of these little ones, even when they were climbing all over his special truck. Matt also loved the outdoors. He had a dirt bike, which he used with his friends, even after his father kept asking if an ER doc didn't know better than to ride one of those things! He had a 4-wheel drive truck outfitted for mountain climbing and was always on some challenging trail in the Sierras. He was an accomplished skier, golfer and water skier and he was very patient with his father when they went snow skiing, water skiing and golfing together. Matt also loved to fish, sharing his salmon catches with his family. Matt will be missed by his family, friends and all the many acquaintances he enjoyed during his short sojourn on this earth. He has left a legacy of tenderness, love and caring that will be felt by all who ever had the privilege of meeting him.

Matt leaves behind his parents, Charles and Linda, nee Ottley, Empey of Loomis, CA, and three sisters, Cara (Cory) Campora and their three daughters; Megan (Jason) Hughes and their 8 year old triplets and two additional daughters and Lindsey (Douglas) Grant and their daughter.

Expressions of sympathy may be extended to the family at www.schildknechtfh.com

Funeral services will be held Monday, January 17, 2011, at 12:00 pm at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Saratoga, CA.

Burial will be at Madronia Cemetery, Saratoga, CA. Bay Area Mortuary Services, 2175 Stone Avenue, #3, San Jose, CA in charge of arrangements.

Local arrangements entrusted to Schildknecht Funeral Home and Cremation Services, O'Fallon, IL.