02/28/2003

The following is a compilation of profiles of some of those who died in The Station fire last week and obituaries of fire victims submitted to The Providence Journal.

Some profiles contain obituary information.

'Becky' Shaw, 24; student, fan of '80s rock bands
Rebecca E. "Becky" Shaw, 24, of Harmony Court, Warwick, just had a way about her.

With her long blond hair, blue eyes, stylish clothes, high heels, and perfect makeup, "she was almost a throwback with the way she carried herself, the way she walked. Her posture was impeccable," said Kerri A. Baccari, the office administrator at RE/MAX real estate office in Cranston, where Ms. Shaw worked part-time.

Ms. Shaw was a business management major at Providence College. Her father, John Shaw, is a professor in the college's marketing department.

"She had such a rich background she could relate to anybody," said her mother, Ann Shaw.

Ms. Shaw grew up in Sudbury, Mass., where she learned to play the piano, speak French, crochet and ride horses.

But this ladylike young woman also had a penchant for 1980s rock bands.

She'd hear about a concert on the radio and say "let's go," like the time she persuaded her reluctant friend and housemate, Megan C. Connelly, to accompany her to concert of a KISS tribute band.

"Plans didn't need to be made. She lived life on the wire," Connelly said.

Ms. Shaw frequently ordered and paid for takeout dinners for her roommate. Sometimes, however, she tried to pass off chocolate as a main meal.

When the roommates were bored, Ms. Shaw would lead them in an adult version of "dress-up." They would go through their closets and try on all their old clothing, particularly old prom gowns.

The women both worked at RE/MAX and became roommates about a year ago. Ms. Shaw often went to a lounge to listen to Connelly sing karaoke.

"She spoiled the people she loved," Connelly said.

Ms. Shaw's close friend, Jeffrey Rader, of Danville, Calif., also died in the fire. They met at a concert about six months ago and had been dating seriously for the last three months.

"I don't think I'd seen her happier," said Connelly.

Ms. Shaw was born in Harrisburg, Pa., but spent most of her life in Sudbury, Mass. She graduated from Lincoln-Sudbury High School in 1996. She had also worked for RE/MAX in the Northampton, Mass., area.

She was the daughter of John and Ann (Clarke) Shaw of Sudbury. She was the granddaughter of the late Dr. Henry and Elinor (Frantz) Clarke of Ashfield, Mass., and the late John and Helen (Drozdal) Skawski of South Deerfield, Mass.

Besides her parents, she leaves a brother, Jonathan Shaw of Sudbury, and many aunts, uncles and cousins.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, March 8, at 11 a.m., in the Drozdal Funeral Home, 120 Damon Road, Northampton, Mass.

-- Cathleen Crowley

Laura Gillett, 32; mother of two was 'like a big kid'
Laura Gillett, 32, could draw a pretty good Tweety Bird.

Her life in Pembroke, Mass., focused on her kids, 6-year-old Jake and 3-year-old Jared. And she seemed to understand children well.

"She was like a big kid. She loved the Looney Tunes" cartoon characters, says her brother, Michael Paterno, of Milford, Mass. "One of the things she used to do was draw Tweety Bird -- drawing cartoons and doing crafts with the kids.

"Neighbors always saw her around the yard, out making sledding runs. Family was always her top priority."

Laura also loved cats. She brought one home from a local shelter and named him Petie, Michael said.

"I miss her greatly. I always want to make sure I have the same attitude toward my two children."

Laura helped build the Hobomock Elementary School's first wooden playground, another example of her commitment to kids.

She was a claim representative at Blue Cross/Blue Shield in Rockland, Mass., often working night shifts to support her children, Michael said. She lived in the house where she grew up.

Laura was dating Shawn Sweet, of Pembroke, who was with her at The Station and also died in the fire. "They were dating for like two years. They both had the same passion for the same type of music. They spent a lot of time together," Michael said.

Carol Dodge, who lives across from Laura on West Elm Street, said the small community of Pembroke is devastated by the loss of two people. Laura's little daughter played with her daughter, Dodge said."They have been friends forever," she said.

Laura's funeral was held yesterday at St. Thecla's Church in Pembroke. Besides her brother and her sons, she is survived by her parents, Salvatore and Margaret C. (Player) Paterno of Pembroke; her former husband, Stephen A. Gillett of Taunton; two nieces and many aunts, uncles and cousins.

-- Michael P. McKinney

Shawn Sweet; cherished dad's gifts, from turkeys to Mustang
The red Ford Mustang was more than a car. It was a gift. Charles Sweet wanted to hand the keys to his son Shawn and hear the engine rumble to life like a symphony.

"I wanted to give him something I never had."

So he found a good deal, a car that had been repossessed. He handed the man a check. The man said no. It would have to be cash.

"I said, 'Well, I'll tell you what. Give me five minutes.' I went to the bank and got the check cashed," Charles recalled. "I said, 'OK, my friend, all I want from you is the title and the receipt that the car is paid for.' "

This was for his son, after all.

He remembered Shawn's reaction: "Oh my God, Dad, thanks."

When Shawn was much younger, he had other wants. At various times, there were a hamster, a dove and a canary. One time, he wanted turkeys. His father said a couple of turkeys would be fine. But his son was thinking big.

"So I got these 12 or 13 turkeys," Charles said. "Each one grew to like 30 pounds or so -- and I had 12 of them in my backyard."

This was for his son, after all.

He remembered that Shawn, 28, had many of the traditional pursuits of young men. He lifted weights, with some friendly competition from his 24-year-old brother, Daniel. He liked to go skiing in Vermont and New Hampshire. And he was a traveler, visiting the Caribbean, Bermuda, Florida and Las Vegas.

Shawn graduated from Silver Lake High School in Pembroke in 1992 and attended but did not finish studies at both Massasoit Community College in Brockton, and Quincy College.

But he did finish the Boston Marathon in 1991. And those who knew him say he ran his best race up the management ladder of the Stop & Shop supermarket in Quincy, Mass.

He started at the store when he was 15. Nearly 14 years later, Shawn was an assistant manager. "He was known as a real team player who always served as a mentor to newcomers and to others," said company spokeswoman Kelly O'Connor.

While at Stop & Shop, Shawn would regularly call home to see whether there was anything he should pick up for the family. He was always helping -- for example, lugging home logs for the family's wood-burning stove.

On Wednesday at St. Thecla's Church in Pembroke, Charles and his wife, Carol C. (Labonte) Sweet, attended their son's funeral Mass. Charles estimates that a thousand people came to honor his son's memory, including a soldier who returned from Afghanistan just for the funeral. Five priests, two of them Shawn's uncles, were on the altar.

And the red Mustang? Shawn hadn't driven it for years, growing up and moving on to a different car. The car wasn't really the point.

It was about Charles and his son, after all.

"I walk outside and I keep thinking, 'When is he coming home?' "

-- Michael McKinney

Kristen Leigh McQuarrie, 37; co-workers were her 'family'
Kristen Leigh McQuarrie's giggle was contagious.

Her coworkers at the Branches Restaurant at Foxwoods Resort Casino say they're going to miss that laugh. About 40 of them plan to attend her funeral tomorrow.

The staff of the country-style restaurant in the resort's Two Trees Inn have been her family for the last seven years.

Many of the wait staff are single mothers, like Ms. McQuarrie.

"We knew she didn't have much family, so we took over as family for her," said Rayna Reynolds, of Voluntown, Conn.

Ms. McQuarrie, 37, grew up in Lynn and Saugus, Mass. Her relationship with her mother was strained, and she didn't know her father.

"Her mother would never tell her who her dad was," Reynolds said. "She was trying to find herself and that one little piece was missing."

Ms. McQuarrie had lived in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Coventry, but she moved from Coventry to Ledyard a couple of weeks ago. She is survived by her children, David A. McQuarrie Jr., 19, of Coventry, and Melissa McQuarrie, 18, of Pawtucket.

Her ex-husband, David A. McQuarrie Sr., of Peabody, Mass., still sends her anniversary cards on their wedding date, according to Reynolds and Ms. McQuarrie's former mother-in-law.

"They were friends," said Agnes McQuarrie.

Kristen was a fun-loving person who loved concerts and kept a display of all her ticket stubs.

"I think she's been to every [concert] there ever was," Agnes McQuarrie said.

Reynolds said she and Ms. McQuarrie attended several concerts together, including Hootie and the Blowfish and the Goo Goo Dolls.

"She loved her music," Reynolds said.

Her friends described her as youthful, energetic and outgoing.

When listening to a story, Ms. McQuarrie would interject with a dramatic "Wow," "No, way," or "Oh my God."

"She was very expressive," said Kimberly A. Blais, a fellow waitress who lives in Baltic, Conn.

One friend said, "She lived like a rock star and she died like a rock star."

-- Cathleen F. Crowley

Ms. McQuarrie's obituary was published yesterday.

Keith A. Mancini, 34; bassist for opening band Fathead
As a teenager, Keith A. Mancini dreamed of being a rock 'n' roll star.

Weaned on Black Sabbath, KISS and Poison, he grew his blond hair long and played bass in several bands after leaving West Warwick High School. He even met Joe Jackson in Las Vegas.

The Cranston musician sent his booming bass lines through an amplifier in his Broad Street apartment and scribbled lyrics in a notebook.

His first band was called Nightfall.

"He was very passionate about his music," said Craig Mancini, Keith's older brother. "More than anything he wanted to be a rock star. He wanted to cut a record."

So when Keith's last band, Fathead, grabbed the opening act for Great White last week, the band members -- including Keith's cousin Steven -- were excited. "They thought they might get discovered," Craig said.

Keith first embraced the heavy-metal world of power chords and platform shoes as a teenage boy on the Cranston-Warwick line. He went to Bishop Hendricken High School for two years, but switched to West Warwick to graduate with his friends. He played the piano briefly, but learned to play bass and read music from a Mount Pleasant teacher.

For years, he worked at his father's store, Continental Bait & Tackle, selling equipment. "He was a good salesman," recalled his father, Anthony. "He charmed the people."

Three years ago, Keith got a warehouse job with the Rhode Island Novelty Co. in Johnston. And he joined the company softball team as a pitcher. "He was a great guy," said Ralph Tedeschi, his supervisor.

But his first love was music.

He joined the rock band Skyhigh and played often at The Station. There he met guitarist Steven R. Mancini, a second cousin. Keith left Skyhigh to join Steven's band, Fathead.

All of the band members contributed to Fathead's sound, a mix of Bad Company, Creed, Jimi Hendrix and the blues.

"Keith would come up with a bass line out of nowhere," said Tom Conte, Fathead's singer. "He added so much to the band, both in his music and in the show he put on."

"The Station was the only place we played," Conte said. "It had a nice stage and the sound system was the best. We always brought in a good crowd. They rushed the stage and it was a great feeling. It would last for days."

-- Paul Davis

An obituary for Mr. Mancini was published in Wednesday's paper

Mark Fontaine, 22; hoped to become police officer
Mark Fontaine made others happy just by being around them.

His large circle of friends often gathered at his home on Country View Drive, in Johnston, where Mark, 22, went out of his way to make adults -- even those a lot older than his friends -- feel comfortable.

"He always had a hug for you, even when his friends were around," his grandmother Pauline Fortier said yesterday. "His friends saw it and they'd hug you too."

Even though he weighed only 115 pounds, he was the peacemaker when arguments broke out among friends, his mother, Chris, says. "All of his friends respected him because of the kind of person he was," she said.

About eight of Mark's relatives and friends went to the concert at The Station together. Two others, Stephen M. Libera of North Kingstown and John M. Longiaru, of Johnston, were unable to escape the fire. Mark's sister Melanie, who was engaged to John Longiaru, was hospitalized until yesterday.

Growing up in Johnston, he was his mother's "ray of sunshine" because he was always smiling. His desire to grow his hair long occasionally got him into trouble at school. When he was a student at St. Rocco's, he tried to hide his long hair, his grandmother recalls. But he was sent home, and the hair was cut, she said.

Mark graduated from La Salle Academy in 1999 and took a year off before enrolling in law-enforcement courses at the Community College of Rhode Island. He hoped to be a police officer.

Because he was short and thin, he was working out to build up strength for the police physical exam. As a youngster Mark had studied karate and earned a second-degree brown belt, but he did not pursue the sport after earning the belt.

Thanks to his grandfather Edmund Fortier, he discovered other sports: fishing and golf during visits to Florida.

His grandfather taught him to fish in the waters of Sarasota Bay. They went after snook, sea trout and redfish. "He was my fishing buddy," his grandfather says.

Mark was known for his generosity. "He'd give you his shoes and walk barefoot," his grandfather says.

Mark worked for three years at the Bickford Family Restaurant in North Providence, starting as a cook and working his way up to assistant manager on the night shift.

When Mark started school, he became a shift supervisor so he could work fewer hours. As shift supervisor, he was responsible for a crew of about 10 cooks, dishwashers, waitresses and others. "He was always late" for the start of his shift, but he was always dependable, said Vicki Kettle, general manager.

"We're devastated," she said. "We still can't believe it. He was such a fantastic person. We haven't stopped crying."

-- Bob Jagolinzer

Charline E. Gingras-Fick, 35; Gulf War vet, dog groomer
Charline Elaine Gingras-Fick was not just a professional dog groomer. She was also a Gulf War veteran.

So, even when the dog was a real-life "Cujo" -- the rabid St. Bernard in the Stephen King novel -- Charline wouldn't hesitate to give it a bath or shampoo, or trim its toenails, said Tarah James, a co-worker at the Petco store in South Attleboro.

"She got bit. She got bit several times," said Charline's mother, Lorraine (Paquette) Desrochers.

Was she discouraged? "Are you kidding?" Desrochers said. "She couldn't wait to go to work."

Charline was one of four children of Edward G. Gingras, who lives in Bellingham, Mass., and Desrochers, who remarried after she and Edward Gingras divorced.

She rode a motorcycle at age 14, brought home stray animals while she was growing up in Pawtucket, and went to William M. Davies Jr. Career and Technical High School in Lincoln, where she learned cabinet-making.

In 1988, a year after she finished at the Pedigree Professional School of Dog Grooming in Lynn, Mass., she enlisted in the U.S. Army and became a diesel mechanic.

"In other words," said Desrochers, "she was a tomboy from day one."

Specialist Gingras took part in Operation Desert Storm, repairing jeeps, trucks and Humvees.

While she was in the Army, she married another soldier, Larry Fick, of Merrill, Mich. After they divorced, she and Fick agreed to share in the upbringing of their two children, Samantha, 12, and William, 10. Each parent would have custody for seven years.

In 1995, Charline moved back to Rhode Island and went into the dog-grooming business. She bought a two-family house in Central Falls and had her mother and stepfather, Henry D. Desrochers, move in downstairs so the children would have someone to look after them while she was working.

Samantha and William have been back with their father since September.

Charline worked the 1 to 9 p.m. shift at Petco last Thursday, then went with a friend to The Station. She wasn't in the nightclub more than five minutes, Desrochers said, when the fire broke out.

Charline was 35. Besides her parents, husband, children and stepfather, she is survived by her brother, Edward A. Gingras of Attleboro; a sister, Christine D. Roessler of Central Falls; a stepsister, Robin J. Desrochers of Florida; and a stepbrother, Kevin T. Desrochers of Norton, Mass.

Another sister, Caroline L. Gingras, died in 1994.

A Mass of Christian Burial with military honors will be held Saturday, March 8, at Notre Dame Church on Broad Street in Central Falls. Burial will be in Notre Dame Cemetery.

-- John Castellucci

Theresa L. Rakoski, 30; loved extreme sports, Bible
Theresa L. (Serpa) Rakoski, 30, was a real "rocker" with an adventurous spirit and a positive attitude who was looking forward to her honeymoon.

She had married Richard H. Rakoski Jr. last June 29, one week before he was sent to Afghanistan with the 772nd Military Police Company. The couple had planned the wedding for this year, but when he was called for active duty, they pushed up the date, according to Alan Medeiros, a friend and co-worker.

"After the wedding, she went running around showing everybody the photos," recalled another co-worker from Copley Controls in Canton. Colleagues tried to reassure her that he would be safe overseas. "I remember when he first left, I just kept telling her, 'He'll be fine, he'll come home to you,' " one woman said.

While Richard was overseas, Terry kept in touch with him over the Internet and by cell phone. The couple were planning their honeymoon, a trip to Niagara Falls, Canada, scheduled for this spring.

Many co-workers recall that Terry was positive at all times, even when faced with the burden of her husband being abroad on military duty. She organized a company program that sent shaving cream, batteries, and other supplies to the soldiers in Afghanistan, one friend said.

"She was a real rocker," Alan Medeiros said, mentioning her enthusiasm for sky diving and other extreme activities -- she even convinced her mother to ride in a hot-air balloon with her once. She also had a softer side, studying the Bible over lunch, playing cribbage, and sharing stories about her cats with co-workers. While working in her detail-oriented job as a quality assurance inspector, he says, Terry was very meticulous.

Richard was supposed to return to the United States today, but came back early to make arrangements for Terry's funeral.

A graveside service will be held tomorrow at the Center Cemetery, Tihonet Road, Wareham, at 11 a.m.

Born in Wareham, Terry graduated from Wareham High School.

Besides her husband, she leaves her mother, Patricia (Gallus) Pina and Pina's husband, John Pina of Wareham; her father, Clarence Serpa and his wife, Lisa Serpa, of Pembroke; and one sister, Jina Sanders in Florida.

Her other sister, Christina DiRienzo, also died in the fire.

-- Jessica Resnick-Ault

Christina 'Tina' DiRienzo, 37; mother of two sons
A graveside service will be held tomorrow for Christina "Tina" DiRienzo, 37, a mother of two sons, who lived in Plymouth, Mass.

Born in Wareham, she was a graduate of Upper Cape Cod Regional High School. A longtime resident of Wareham, she had lived in Plymouth for the last three years. She was a homemaker.

Ms. DiRienzo's sister, Theresa Rakoski, also died in the fire. Ms. DiRienzo leaves two sons, Peter M. DiRienzo Jr. and Beau DiRienzo, both of Wareham; her mother, Patricia (Gallus) Pina, and Mrs. Pina's husband, John Pina, of Wareham; her father, John Butland, and his wife, Mary Butland, of Etna, Maine; and her paternal grandfather, William Butland, also of Etna. She is also survived by her companion, Russell Tripp Jr., of Plymouth.

Tomorrow's service is at 11 a.m. at the Center Cemetery, Tihonet Road, Wareham.

Kristine Carbone, 38; 'she believed in angels'
Kristine Carbone, 38, would put spice into anyone's day. She loved baking and cooking, and was always ready to whip something up for her friends, or even for those she did not know. Every dish that Kristine made was unique. "Nothing was ever plain with Kristine," her sister Patti says.

Every Friday, Kristine would send her legendary goodies to Brookfield Engineering, where her boyfriend, Claude Schlieff, worked. "She would get e-mails that said, 'We haven't met you yet, but we love you. Keep the cookies coming,' " Patti says. Kristine's cooking won praise from afar as well; she recently won first place in an informal chili cook-off.

"She was just a wonderful, giving person, and she brought people together," Patti said. Even when they were young, the two sisters did not fight. "She was my Krissy."

Kristine was a salesperson at Heritage Salmon Co. in Canton, where she made even her clients feel like good friends. "She seemed to create a personal touch with all of them," co-worker Marianne Sheehan says. "Everyone that's called, even over the phone, they just felt terrible, because they knew her personally."

Sheehan said it's still difficult to walk by Kristine's desk, which holds stuffed animals, cards and photographs of her boyfriend and her cat, Mooy. "She loved that cat; she had pictures of him up all over," Sheehan said. Kristine had a second cat, Frito, whom she took in, rescuing him from a factory, where he was born.

"She'd lift everyone's spirits when they were down; it's just the way she was. It's hard to explain -- everybody was 'honey' or 'sweetie'; she just made everybody feel good," Sheehan said.

Born in Winthrop, Mass., to Pasquale "Pat" and Lillian C. (Jason) Carbone, Kristine was a graduate of Stoughton High School, Class of 1982.

Her funeral will be held from the Farley Funeral Home, 358 Park St., Stoughton, on Monday at 9:30 a.m. followed by a Mass at Immaculate Conception Church, Stoughton, at 10:15.

Kristine loved crosses and angels and often received figurines as gifts. "She believed in angels," Patti said.

-- Jessica Resnick-Ault

Victor Stark's 'main focus in life was working'
When Victor Stark's father died many years ago, he became a father figure to his little brother, Tony. When Tony was paralyzed in a car crash in North Carolina in 1998, Victor became his lifeline.

"He kept a constant vigil and wouldn't leave my bedside," Tony wrote in a tribute to his brother. "Even when I was on life support, I remember hearing his enthusiastic voice praying for me to fight for my life."

After Tony was discharged from the hospital, Victor visited him regularly. He vacuumed, took him out on the town and cheered him on as he pursued a bachelor's degree in psychology.

Stark, 39, of Mashpee, Mass., took pride in his versatility. In fact, he claimed he had worked more than 50 different jobs.

"His main focus in life was working," said his 25-year-old brother, who lives in Taunton. "If somebody needed something, he'd do it. He worked a lot."

Victor's latest job was bagging groceries, collecting grocery carts and doing whatever else his co-workers needed at the Shaw's supermarket in Falmouth, Mass.

He had worked at the market for at least five years and was so proud of his job that he wore his uniform shirt off-duty.

Deep into astrology, Victor tended to blame bad luck on the alignment of the planets.

"If something bad happened, he would blame it on 'Mercury's retrograde,' " says Tony.

Victor, a graduate of Dennis-Yarmouth High School, was a devoted follower of the Boston Red Sox and a hardcore rock music fan.

Rose Weichels, a close friend, said Stark had anticipated the Great White concert for months and had secured three tickets for his friends. He went to the concert with Donald Roderiques, 46, also of Mashpee, and Milton "Skip" Servis Jr. of East Falmouth. Roderiques died in the fire. Servis was badly burned.

Both Weichels and Tony believe they can see the lanky rock fan in the video that recorded the start of the fire. Victor stands out because of his height. He is pointing to the smoke and directing people to the exits, Weichels said.

"He is a hero," she said.

-- Mark Reynolds

Robert D. Young, 29; a big laugh, a loving heart
To family and friends, he was Big Bob, the gentle giant.

After all, Robert D. Young, 29, of Taunton, stood 6 feet, 6 inches and had a perpetual smile.

For fun, he loved sports, and he loved music, especially heavy-metal "hair bands" like Poison, Guns N' Roses and Great White.

So it was no surprise when Bob and three friends attended Great White's concert at The Station. After all, the gang had gone to see Guns N' Roses last year at The Fleet Center. It was one of the best times they'd had together, says Nate Chadwick, a close friend and business partner.

They'd also driven down to New Orleans last year, to see the Patriots beat the St. Louis Rams, 20 to 17, in the Super Bowl.

A typical die-hard New England sports fan, Bob couldn't watch during the fateful field goal kick that sealed the Patriots' victory.

"He was bawling 'I can't look,' " Chadwick says. " 'I know he missed it.' "

But that was not the typical Bob, who was known more for his calmness and optimism, even when others were about to crack.

A 1991 graduate of Foxboro High School, Bob studied information systems at Western New England College in Springfield, Mass. He met Chadwick in 1995, and the two hit it off, becoming best friends. Two years ago, they formed a computer consulting business, Chadwick and Young, with Bob designing operating systems and programs for the company's business customers.

Bob and Jennifer were married on Valentine's Day last year. They celebrated their first anniversary the weekend before the fire. Bob bought Jennifer a dozen red roses and they went to Cape Cod.

That kind of behavior was typical, says Josephine Young, Bob's paternal grandmother, who lives in Foxboro. He had a big laugh and a loving heart, she says.

"I loved him dearly. He was my darling. I'm sure that if he was in that fire he was probably trying to help people."

The friends who attended the show with Bob escaped through a side exit, said Chadwick, whose brother, Joe Lusardi, was among the four who attended. Chadwick said his brother told him that as the fire spread, Bob reacted with his typical calmness.

"One of the last things Bob said is 'just calm down. Remember Chicago, because that's how people get killed.' "

When Lusardi, John Kudryck and Gary Stein -- who remains in fair condition at Brigham & Women's Hospital -- escaped, they turned and looked for Bob.

"They thought he was right behind them," he said.

Robert Young's funeral will begin at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow at Crapo-Hathaway Funeral Home, in Taunton, and proceed to Immaculate Conception Church, on Bay Street, in Taunton.

-- Randal Edgar

Matthew J. Pickett, 33; music 'made his heart soar'
It took three years for Matt Pickett to ask Wendy Weinberg on a date and another three to propose marriage, but he was worth the wait, she says.

"He was my soul mate. He was the most fantastic person I have ever known in my entire life."

The two met seven years ago at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, and had been dating for three years when they found a split-level house in Bellingham, Mass. Wendy said she didn't want to close the deal on the house until they were at least engaged.

He proposed last June 30, her 30th birthday, on the Echo Bridge over the Charles River in Newton, where they grew up. They closed on the Bellingham house the next day.

Wendy said her fiancé collected everything -- newspapers, tapes, CDs, records -- which he shared with his hundreds, if not thousands, of friends all over the world. "He had not one enemy, ever," she says.

He went to The Station last week with his friend Joe Cristina, who was discharged from the hospital Saturday but is under 24-hour care at home for second-degree burns, Wendy said.

Matt loved music; it "made his heart soar," she says.

Matt was a giver, she said, who would drop everything to help a friend.

"He gave so much of himself, even if he had nothing."

Wendy said her fiancé had just celebrated his seventh year of sobriety.

"He and I were each other's support systems. He gave me hope, he gave me strength, he told me about life."

Most of all, she said, "He was my best friend. My very best friend."

She already had her dress for their wedding. It was to be held Oct. 19.

-- Katherine Boas

Eric J. Hyer, 32, of Scituate; loved attending rock shows
A memorial Mass will be celebrated Monday for Eric J. Hyer, 32, of Nipmuc Road, Scituate.

Born in Middleboro, Mass., a son of H. Richard Hyer of Burleson, Texas, and Dawn P. (Savage) Fuller of Red Oak, Texas, he had lived in Coventry before moving to Scituate six months ago.

Mr. Hyer worked as a binder for Auto Trader for seven months. He had worked for TRA Inc., a wastewater treatment facility in Texas, for seven years.

He loved to attend rock concerts.

Besides his parents, he leaves four brothers, Douglas R. Hyer of North Richland Hills, Texas, Mark P. Hyer of Coventry, Scott E. Hyer of Taunton, and Andrew Hyer of Morristown, N.J.; and four aunts and two uncles.

The service will be held at 10 a.m. Monday in St. Joseph Church, Danielson Pike, Scituate.