When Matthew O'Connell's folks moved to Corbett, he was a mere 8 months old. His parents had purchased acreage from the Kerslake family and built their dream home, modeled after a 1988 Street of Dreams model home they once admired. Today Matthew is 23 years old and is the oldest of three boys. Christian is 20 and Lucas is 17. Growing up in Corbett, Matthew was an avid soccer player from kindergarten until graduating in 2006. After finishing school, he coached Corbett JV boy's soccer for a year and also Corbett Middle School coed soccer for a year as well. Matthew is not only passionate about soccer, but is a musician as well, playing piano, saxophone, and guitar. In band at Corbett from 5th grade on, his entire family is musical, both singing and playing various instruments. Combining his music with his faith, he led worship for the high school youth group and was also a youth pastor for the middle school kids at Corbett Community Church. Graduating from Mt. Hood Community College with an associates degree, he is now majoring in business at Eastern Oregon University. They have a satellite campus at Mt. Hood Community College. Matthew's father Nick passed away on December 15, 2009 after a very short battle with cancer. Matthew says that the entire ordeal has given him a new appreciation for the GIFT of life and he now takes very little for granted. A smile comes to his face as he talks about drinking his daily cup of morning coffee while getting to look out the window at his family's tranquil acreage.
