Funeral services announced for Rostraver West Newton paramedic killed on I-70
A Rostraver West Newton Emergency Services paramedic supervisor who was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer along Interstate 70will be laid to rest Friday in Monongahela Cemetery.
Funeral arrangements were announced for Matthew C. Smelser, 43, of Carroll Township, by Marshall Marra Funeral Home, 216 Chess St., Monongahela, where visitation will be held 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday and 2 to 8 p.m. Thursday.
Services will be held 10 a.m. Friday with the Rev. Richard Roberts officiating. Interment will follow.
Emergency service agencies that intend to send trucks or crews to the funeral are asked to contact Rostraver West Newton EMS at 724-929-3220. Departments planning to attend Friday’s funeral are asked to arrive by 8:30 a.m.
State police said the 5:30 a.m. crash remains under investigation. Icy road conditions may have been a factor, they said.
According to the obituary, Smelser was born in Toledo, Ohio, the the son of Charles J. Thomas of Perrysburg, Ohio, and Sandra Spivey Smelser of Monessen.
In addition to his parents, he is survived by his wife of 19 years, Lynn Lenzi Smelser, their son Logan and daughter Adriana.
Smelser was a 1995 graduate of Frazier High School in Perryopolis. He continued his education with various paramedic and emergency medical technician classes. For the past 24 years, he worked as a paramedic, becoming a supervisor for the Rostraver West Newton Emergency Services, while also working for UPMC’s Paramedic Response Unit.
During his time with UPMC, he worked with his K9 Mondo.
He was a member of Edwards Chapel United Methodist Church in Finleyville.
His obituary described Smelser as “a family oriented, loving husband and father.”
It said Smelser “had recently joined a local gun club because he enjoyed shooting, he always liked to golf, swim and especially riding quads with his son, Logan. Matt always enjoyed helping others and took pride in teaching and instructing paramedic and EMT classes, he believed time was not measured by the years you live, but by the deeds that you do and the joy you bring to others.”
In addition to his wife, children and parents, he is survived by two brothers, Charles Thomas and his wife, Nicole, of Dayton, Ohio, and Jason Thomas of Maumee, Ohio; and two sisters, Shelly Lynch and her husband, David, of Fayette City, and Stephanie Thomas of Perrysburg, Ohio.
He was preceded in death by his brother, Kyle Smelser, in 2003.
More information at marshallmarrafuneralhome.com
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.