SAYREVILLE – Officials in Sayreville are mourning the death of a borough firefighter and employee.
Officials paid tribute to Matt Winston, a member of Sayreville Engine Co. No. 1 of the Sayreville Fire Department, during the June 12 council meeting.
According to an obituary posted on the fire department’s Facebook page, Winston died on June 9 at the age of 45. He was married and had two children. In addition to serving the fire department, he worked for the borough’s parks department.
Winston’s death was mourned by Mayor Kennedy O’Brien, who requested a moment of silence in his memory.
“We lost a very dear friend, colleague, fireman, borough employee [and] one fine human being,” O’Brien said. “He was far too young.”
Fire Chief George Gawron spoke in Winston’s memory.
“Matt Winston will be deeply missed at the fire department and at public works,” Gawron said. “He was a man that if you were down, he knew how to bring you up. He was that type of person [who] was fun to be around [and] knew how to do his job. It’s a sad thing for his family that a man is gone at such a young age.”
Members of the council also paid tribute to Winston.
“There isn’t a person I know [who] didn’t meet Matt [and] absolutely love him,” Councilwoman Mary Novak said. “He was such a wonderful guy and he went out of his way for you, no matter what your request was or just to come over and say hello to you. He was a really nice guy and I just feel so sad for his wife and children. The children are going to be missing out on so much not having their dad around.”
“He was a friend of mine,” Councilwoman Victoria Kilpatrick said. “His kids went to school with my daughters and I would see him all the time in front of Wilson [Elementary] School, picking them up when he could. I was happy to hear the last time I talked to him he was able to take some time to spend a few days with them. He didn’t know he was sick.
“Sometimes, God works in mysterious ways, so that way he was able to have those days [with his children] before this situation happened,” Kilpatrick said. “My heart breaks and goes out to his entire family. He was a good man.”
O’Brien made note of an online fundraiser seeking $20,000 to provide support to Winston’s wife and children. As of June 20, $5,555 has been donated.
“Matt leaves two young children and a wife,” O’Brien said. “There is a GoFundMe page to accept donations to help in the transition for his family.”
The fundraiser can be found at www.gofundme.com/in-loving-memory-of-matt-winston
Contact Matthew Sockol at [email protected].