Obituary: Matthew Addison Hayes
September 21, 1999 - September 21, 2021
Matthew Addison Hayes
Matthew Addison Hayes passed away suddenly on Tuesday, September 21, 2021, from an accidental overdose on his 22nd birthday after a three-year battle with mental health issues and addiction. He was born on September 21, 1999, to parents Terri Brillon-Hayes and Greg Hayes in Duxbury, Vermont. He was a graduate of Harwood Union High School Class of 2018.
Matthew had a big heart and was kind, sensitive, easy-going, loyal, and always willing to give a helping hand. He found joy in the simpler things in life.
He loved spending time with his family and most recently participated in the wedding of his sister Khristina whom he adored, in Benson, Vermont. They had a special bond, and he would often visit her and her family at her home in Salisbury. Matthew had a great work ethic and was employed in local restaurants and businesses in Waterbury where he lived with his dad.
As a child, Matthew played Cal Ripken baseball, Harwood Youth Hockey, and basketball. As he grew older, Matthew found his passion driving and fixing Subarus, snowboarding, and mountain biking, which he shared with his father. He used this passion to raise money for diabetes.
He enjoyed adventures including time spent at his grandparents’ camp in the Adirondacks, spring trips to Cape Cod, and epic road trips including Key West, Florida. He enjoyed music and attended many concerts and music festivals with his dad. He also enjoyed just sitting on his back porch in Waterbury sharing coffee and sunshine with his father.
His first steps were taken with the gentle encouragement of his big brother Olaf. Matthew and his mother Terri enjoyed driving the back roads of Vermont listening to music and sometimes stopping to fish.
Matthew is survived by his father James Gregory Hayes, his mother Terri Brillon-Hayes and her husband Sergio Jones of Essex Junction; his sister Khristina Hedding, her husband Bill McPherson, and their son Jackson of Salisbury; his brother Olaf Hedding and Olaf’s children Colby, McKenna and Alton; grandparents James and Diane Hayes of Hensonville, New York; Uncle Chris and Aunt Lenore Hayes and cousins of Bolton, Vermont.
No one chooses to be an addict. Matthew will be forever loved, missed, and remembered.
Contributions in his name can be made to National Institute of Mental Health, Central Vermont Substance Abuse Services in Berlin, Vermont, or Good Samaritan Haven in Barre, Vermont.