On Tuesday, members of the Creighton community gathered at a memorial Mass to celebrate the life of Matthew Roth, a Creighton class of 2014 and Heider College of Business graduate.
Roth died in a boating accident over the weekend of Nov. 8-9. Funeral services were held for him on Saturday in Minnesota, where Roth was from.
Patrick Fallon, a longtime friend and roommate of Roth’s, gave the eulogy preceding the memorial Mass.
Fallon and Roth had been friends since high school and attended Creighton together, where they were roommates all four years.
Fallon described Ross as someone who “lived life to the fullest” and loved being outdoors. Roth was known for spending long amounts of time outside enjoying nature no matter what the weather was like. When thunderstorms prevented Roth from partaking in his usual outdoor activities, of which there were several, he was content to sit on the porch and watch the storms.
Roth loved playing hockey and played throughout high school and during his time at Creighton.
“Matt demonstrated leadership on and off the ice, and it spilled over to Creighton,” Fallon said. “He was always there to push and to challenge me. He was always there to help me get through the challenges.”
Fallon remembered how Roth was not afraid of any challenge, how he was strong and loved every person he encountered. Roth made friends easily, was always there to have a good time and was always there and willing to do anything for his close friends. Most of all, Fallon said Roth loved his family deeply.
“I was blessed to have him in my life, and nothing will fill the void he has left in our lives,” Fallon said.
The Rev. Richard Hauser, S.J. who presided over the Mass, encouraged all who attended to keep Roth’s memory alive.
“We honor Matt by remembering him and making him an icon reminding us of the eternal life promised to us,” Hauser said.
Steven and Carol Roth, Matthew’s parents, said they were most proud of the fact that Matthew was an “excellent and caring person” and wanted him to be most remembered by that.
“We are grateful for him because he made such a positive impact on so many people,” Steven said.
Steven thanked both Creighton and Union Pacific, where Matthew worked after he graduated, for helping Matthew become the person that he was.
“We handed over a little boy who had a lot of potential, but was a little rough around the edges … and after giving him to Creighton, we ended up getting back a young man who was confident, competent and ready to enter the workforce,” Steven said. “And we are grateful to Union Pacific for honing him as a businessman.”
As the memorial Mass ended, the Rothes warmly thanked and hugged those who came to honor the memory of their son as they processed out of St. John’s.
Of all that was said about Matthew, it was his grateful attitude that his parents hoped many would take with them after the service.
“He never missed an opportunity to say ‘thank you,’” Steven said. “The thing that probably would bother him the most is that he isn’t here now to say ‘thank you.’ So on behalf of Matt, from us, thank you.”