| Graduation Year | Class of 1997 |
| Date of Passing | (unknown) |
| About | Matt and I use to talk often online and over the phone. Around November of 2006 I noticed that I hadnt received an email from him in a long time. One of our mutual friends told me about what happened. Here is a copy of the article in the Saline reporter. Area man mourned by family, admirers For 1997 SHS alum, farming 'was his life,' says family matriarch By Brian Cox, Staff Writer PUBLISHED: June 22, 2006 The very morning a portrait of Paul and Connie Marion's family ran in the local paper, their 28-year-old son Matt Marion, one of 11 children, was killed outside the family's Macon Road farm, struck by an SUV as he crossed the road on a four-wheeler to tend to loose cows. Advertisement The fatal accident occurred shortly after 8 a.m. last Thursday, according to Saline Fire Chief Craig Hoeft. Macon Road divides the Marion home from the dairy farm. Matt Marion intended to cross to the farm to round up some loose cows when he pulled out of the house's driveway on a four-wheel all-terrain vehicle and into the path of an SUV, according to Hoeft. "He probably [crossed that road] 20 times a day," said Hoeft. "Timing is everything." Marion was pronounced dead at the scene, Hoeft said. The driver of the SUV was not injured, but Hoeft said she was visibly distraught. She was still in her vehicle where it had veered off the road when rescue personnel arrived, Hoeft said. Her air bag had deployed. She was transported to Saint Joseph Mercy Saline Hospital. A 1997 Saline High School graduate, Matt Marion attended Washtenaw Community College while working as a machinist at Saline Metals for nearly 10 years. He was an active member of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church. "Matt was such a hard worker," said his mother Connie. "Farming was his main enjoyment and his life." He had recently purchased an old tractor from a neighbor and got it running again, using it around the farm. "He was so proud to get it running again," said Connie, adding that she was considering taking a picture of the tractor and putting it on his gravestone. She said her son was so fondly remembered that some of his pre-school teachers attended the visitation on Father's Day. "He was a very well-liked kid that had a smile on his face all the time," Connie said. "One teacher told me she remembered how Matt's big brown eyes reminded her of M&Ms." The morning of the accident, Connie received an electronic version of The Saline Reporter article on her family from a daughter and she read the story to Matt. Not five minutes later, she said, Matt was struck by the SUV and killed. "I'm glad he got a chance to read the story," she said. Visitation for friends and family of the Marions was held at 2 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church on Sunday, Father's Day. By 2:15 p.m., the parking lot was full. The room was overflowing with flowers and small hardwood and evergreen trees given by neighbors, friends, family and members of the farming community. The funeral was Monday at 11 a.m. at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church |
