Matthew Tozer: Loving, Faithful Teen Remembered

ERMA — Hundreds of friends came out Saturday morning to celebrate the life and mourn the death of Matthew Ryan Tozer — a young man well-loved for his quiet warmth and sense of humor, his “goofy” smile, and for never saying a harsh word about anyone.
Pews were filled to overflowing and persons stood at the back of the large worship space at the Seashore Church of the Nazarene on Seashore Road here for a service that started at 11 a.m. and included some of Matthew’s favorite songs, as well as young and old sharing memories of the young man who everyone said cared more about others than about himself.
“He would be surprised,” to see so many people here, said one friend, as he never would have thought he touched so many lives.
But one by one, young people stood up and spoke about how he’d been the one to welcome them to a lunch table at the Cape May County Technical School, or the one to give them a warm hug whenever they greeted, or the one who made them feel befriended and accepted, regardless of their piercings.
Tozer, 16, was killed June 10 on Route 83 in Dennis Township when a car being driven by Charles A. Nailie, 62, of Court House, struck Tozer on his moped. Nailie was arrested for driving under the influence and charged with aggravated assault by auto, driving while intoxicated and related vehicle offenses. He was remanded to county jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.
Matthew’s mother, Linda, told those assembled not to be angry.
“Don’t be angry with God,” she said. “Don’t be angry with the person who did this …” she added.
Tozer was a sophomore carpentry student at the Technical School. He was good with his hands, was always fiddling with his moped, which he loved, and could fix anything, friends and family said. His father wrote in a memory book on display that this ability constantly “amazed” him, recalling a time his son took an old wheel from a Big Wheel and used it to fix the broken lawnmower.
True to his fix-it ability, Tozer always had duct tape on him, one friend said, to many laughs.
Tozer had long hair and blue eyes; his girlfriend Amanda described him as gentle and loyal.
“I loved him — when he smiled those blue eyes just lit up,” she said. When he’d say goodbye, she said, “I never wanted to let go.”
Tozer had a deep faith in Jesus. He was on his way to his Bible study group on his moped the night he died, his former teacher said.
His last project in his carpentry class was a beautifully crafted box made of fine wood with a lid inlaid with what looked like maple and walnut in the form of a contemporary cross. He was actively involved in The Lighthouse Church Youth Group and helped at Alternate Destination, a place for teens with a Christian emphasis. He was planning on traveling to Mexico this summer on a mission trip.
He made others feel comfortable, and always had a smile on his face.
Tozer’s father, Rodger, wrote: “For a shy kid, I never knew anyone more comfortable talking to strangers …”
“He was an unusual boy,” his mother’s cousin Grace Leaming, told The Herald.
For complete story, see The Herald June 18 print edition.