May 30, 1958 ~ June 7, 2012 Matt Wilson, age 54, of Taylorsville, Utah, was born in Murray, Utah on May 30th, 1958 to Ward Porter and S. Dawn Hays Wilson. He was the second son and fourth child of eleven children. He passed away on June 7th, 2012 of colo-rectal cancer, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Matt grew up in Midvale and Sandy, attended schools there, and graduated from Hillcrest High School, in Midvale, in 1976. He served an honorable mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Duesseldorf, Germany and Rochester, New York. Matt loved the outdoors, and spent his adult life farming and ranching in Utah, Colorado, and Montana with his beloved dog Chip. He was known for his wry sense of humor and wit and "He was of the proper height and breadth to be a Mountain Man and the ghostly stories of the mountains never scared him none." He also loved gardening and was well known for the tasty vegetables and beautiful flowers that he grew. His hobbies included studying geology and linguistics. He loved reading the Oxford English Dictionary. If he had written his own obituary, none of us would have been able to understand what he wrote without referencing it. He also loved writing, and wrote many humorous poems and prose and would be pleasantly pleased to know that his computer was used to help compose his obituary. Matt also loved listening to Neil Diamond music; his biggest disappointment will be missing Neil's upcoming concert on July 28th, 2012 at Rio Tinto Stadium, in Sandy, Utah. All who knew Matt will remember him as someone who was strong as an ox and yet had the heart and soul of a lamb. He was always finding ways to help anyone in need: whether by carrying a washer, digging ditches, pulling weeds, writing a humorous blog, or ripping down trees. He is preceded in death by his parents, youngest brother Aaron Hays, and his beloved dog Chip. Matt leaves behind his siblings and their spouses: Mark (Janice), of Annapolis, Maryland; Brenda (Mark) Stolp, of Taylorsville; Becky, of Salt Lake City; Bryan, of Salt Lake City; Janet (Frank) Van Vleit; of Avondale, Arizona; Grace (Mark) Hammond, of Taylorsville; Lori, of Phoenix, Arizona; Wendy (Barney) of Sandy, Ward (Nora) of Salt Lake City, and adopted brother Sonny Wyne, of Severna Park, Maryland. He also leaves behind nineteen nieces and nephews, as well as nine grand nieces and nephews, five aunts, two uncles, many cousins, and several life long friends. He is the first adult grandchild to pass away of Eli Dewey and Leah Porter Wilson, as well as the first adult grandchild to pass away of Herald Freeman and Emma McClendon Hays.As per his wishes, there will not be a viewing or funeral service. A private memorial service will be announced later. Matt was buried in the Hatch Cemetery in Hatch Utah, on Monday, June 11. Funeral arrangements are provided by Premier Funeral Services, Inc. The family expresses their many heartfelt thanks to the staff and volunteers at the University of Utah Hospital, Huntsman Cancer Hospital and Institute, Avalon Care Center, CNS Hospice, as well the many close friends who helped and comforted him and his family during Matt's illness. A special thank you goes out to Scott, Susan, and family for their kindness and generosity, and to Monika and Barbara for their knowledge, compassion, and support for the Wilson family. Since Matt would have grown his own flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Huntsman Cancer Hospital. "Thanks for calling, take care, hasta la vista."