Matthew Scott Turkington

Matthew Scott Turkington, 42, of Manchester/Colchester, passed away at home surrounded by loving family on Monday, February 3, 2020 after courageously battling ALS for four years. Born on December 14, 1977 in Manchester, Matthew and Kelly have two children, Cole (12) and Layla (9) Turkington. He was the son of Michael and Cathy Turkington. Matthew was the brother to Christopher Turkington, wife Connie Turkington, children Tori, Michael, Hunter & Hope of Manchester/Higganum. In May of 2007 he married Kelly (Marsden) Turkington, daughter of Michael & Deborah Marsden of East Haddam and Sandy & Larry Silva of Lisbon, sister Aimee Vetter, children Phoebe and Zane, and stepsister Kaylie & Jay. Born and raised in Manchester he attended Manchester High School playing soccer and graduated in 1996. He also attended SUNY Plattsburgh/Clinton College where he was also on the soccer team. Matt’s love of cooking lead him to be a manager at Tapa’s on Ann in Hartford. He was also a food specialist at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center (CCMC) in Hartford. At the time of diagnosis, he was employed at Whole Foods in Glastonbury. Matt loved all sports on land and on water. He was an avid fan, along with his friend Robert Medhurst, of the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey team. One of his wishes was to attend a game in Toronto. His wish came true thanks to the ALS Family Charitable Foundation. One of the best days of his life – we are forever grateful. We are also grateful to our friends Tim and Cheryl Hoops who managed to get Matt a signed jersey as a surprise Christmas gift. He was beyond speechless! He was also a fan of the Miami Dolphins, the NY Yankees and was an avid World Cup Soccer fan. He also loved skiing, fishing, and laying on the beach. Matt was a trivia whiz! We spent many fun hours answering trivia questions and watching Jeopardy. I swear he could pull answers from the air for the most difficult and ridiculous questions. Matt loved music. He played in many local bands – 1800, with his brother Chris, Jive Miguel, and Base Camp.

He will especially be missed by his beautiful soul mate and wife Kelly who has been his angel and his rock through this very long and heartbreaking journey, and his dear children Cole and Layla who were the light of his life. Plus, his faithful dog Sebastian and “that damn cat” Lollipop. He leaves behind many more family and friends – too numerous to mention. Special thanks to Julie, Heidi, Christie and Dan, Rob, Andy, Keri & John, and Brie. We would also like to thank those who have supported Matt, Kelly and family on this journey. Please know you are much loved and appreciated.

Calling hours will be held on Sunday, February 9th from 2-5 pm at the Aurora McCarthy Funeral Home 167 Old Hartford Rd, Colchester. A reception and celebration of Matt’s life will be held afterwards at the Colchester Hayward Volunteer Fire Department. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to  Cole and Layla's Education Fund, which has been set up to benefit Cole and Layla’s education. Checks can be mailed to 315 Main Street, Middletown, CT 06457 or go to any Liberty Bank branch, or donate to Matt's Go Fund Me page  which can be accessed by clicking on the following link: Matthew Turkington Go Fund Me Page

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.