Matthew Gordon Hunter

RUPERT – At 9:20 p.m. on Sunday, August 1, 2021, surrounded by loved ones, Matthew Gordon Hunter, a 31-year-old resident of Rupert, joined his brothers, Brandon and Patrick, in Heaven. These three reunited will be a mighty force of protection as guardian angels for the family.

Matthew was born on September 20, 1989, in Twin Falls, Idaho, to Eldon and Lorie (Fohlin) Hunter. He attended schools in Minidoka County, graduating from Minico High School in 2008. He also took classes at College of Southern Idaho.

Matthew was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at an early age. Upon diagnosis, life expectancy for this disease was 17 to 21 years. Matthew was determined not to allow this disease to keep him from losing his sense of humor, harassing his brothers, or pursuing his passions.

Matthew loved attending the Muscular Dystrophy Association sponsored summer camp. He attended his first camp at age six and continued until he turned 18. He began planning costumes for the camp theme weeks prior to the camp. Matt’s strong suit at camp was pulling pranks. He honed this skill so well that when the camp counselors and other campers needed ideas, they came to him! He made friends at camp that lasted a lifetime. A good percentage of the counselors were firefighters, and Matthew loved and respected them for giving their time to attend the camp and raise money through the “Fill the Boot” campaign and other fundraisers. The camp counselors were amazing and several of them stayed in contact with Matthew throughout his life.

He was obsessed about the role-play game, Dungeons and Dragons, and convinced his mother to get involved and play ‘D&D’ with a group of friends. Although Mom wasn’t crazy about playing the game initially, when he invited her to watch an online game of D&D called Critical Role, she found it fascinating and was hooked! From then on, they connected and bonded while watching the campaigns almost every day. Mom even created her own characters for their personal D&D games!

Matthew and his brothers, Brandon and Patrick, had a unique bond because they all shared the same disease. Since they were confined to wheelchairs, they went on great adventures together within the world of video games.

They did have adventures in the real world too, with their brother Justin. There was the time they took bungee cords and made a wheelchair train with three wheelchairs, two electric and one manual, with an old shopping cart in tow that Justin had salvaged from the dump. They proceeded to play ‘whip the shopping cart’ around the driveway while their cousins rode in the cart! Amidst the overturned shopping cart, giggling, scraped knees and elbows, a good time was had by all.

Matthew enjoyed watching Anime (a Japanese form of animation) on his computer. He was a huge fan of “The Lord of the Rings”, “The Hobbit”, and most of the “Marvel Universe”, “Star Wars”, and “Star Trek” movies and TV shows.

Matthew often enjoyed a therapeutic massage and one of his favorite people was his “massage lady.” When she would remind him, “I do have a name”, he would grin and say “Yeah, I know, it’s massage lady.”

Matthew enjoyed spending time with his older brother, Justin, sister-in-law, Kellene, nephew, Ayden and niece, Emma. He became great friends with Kolby when he and his mom lived with the Hunters for a time. Kolby became like a younger brother to Matt, and they acted just like siblings, teasing, harassing, helping with homework and loving each other. On sunny days Matt loved to sit outside and soak up the sunshine. His aides would often accompany him as he made the rounds visiting the horses, watching the chickens, and playing with the cats. Eldon and Lorie spent considerable time providing care for Matt over the years. Eldon and Matt had a similar sense of humor and one of their favorite activities was bantering together and harassing Lorie at every opportunity…and the opportunities seemed to be endless! The ongoing wittiness and humor is just one part of Matt’s special legacy.

Matthew is survived by his parents, Eldon and Lorie of Rupert; brother, Justin (Kellene) Hunter of Paul; nephew, Ayden; niece, Emma; grandparents, Sharon and RB Higgins of Elba, and Herm and Linda Fohlin of Yerington, Nevada; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.

The family would like to express their deepest gratitude to the caregivers and the home-health nurses who gave so generously of their time and energy throughout the years to help care for their son. We have been blessed by your professionalism, compassion, and willingness to become a part of our daily lives, offering support and friendship to Matthew and demonstrating God’s love to all of us.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials be made at any First Federal Savings Bank to help cover funeral costs. Memorials can also be sent to the Hunters at 398 W. 200 N., Rupert, ID 83350.

Matthew once said, “Death is but the start of the journey, and though we will be separated for a time we will never be apart.” So, until we meet again boys, we love you… mom and dad.

The funeral will be held at 12 Noon Saturday, August 7, at Rasmussen-Wilson Funeral Home, 1350 E. 16th St., in Burley, with Bishop Ryan Wilkins officiating. Burial will follow at Rupert Cemetery.

Friends and family will be received at the funeral home from 5 until 7 p.m. Friday, August 6, and one hour prior to the service on Saturday.