Matthew Beatty

Matt Beatty, 57 of Fort Collins, Colorado died September 19, 2008 at the Hospice Care Center in Loveland's McKee Medical Center after a heroic battle with pancreatic cancer. He is survived by his wife of 22 years, Susan Celeste Beatty; daughter, Amanda Elizabeth Beatty; and son, Ian Bennett Beatty; his parents, Owen and Dana Beatty of Swanton, Ohio; brothers, Timothy of Cleveland, OH, Christopher of Huron, OH and Kyle of Seattle, WA; nephews, Pete and Justin Beatty; nieces, Grace Bell and Megan Boscana; and his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Susan and Stephen Bennett of Lima, OH. Matt was preceded in death by his very special Aunt Elizabeth Beatty. Matthew Evan Beatty was born October 7, 1950 in Wauseon, Ohio to Owen and Dana Beatty. He graduated from Defiance College and received his Masters in Education from the University of Dayton. After teaching and coaching for several years in Lima, Ohio, he accepted a position as counselor and assistant principal at Overland High School in Littleton, CO. In 1990, he and his famil y moved to Fort Collins where he served as an assistant principal at Rocky Mountain High School and then at Webber Junior High School. Matt dedicated 34 years as a teacher, coach, counselor and administrator. His enthusiasm, skill and work ethic could easily characterize him as an "organized work horse," but he maintained a balance between work, family and recreation. Matt was an athlete epitomized by his love of baseball, wrestling, lacrosse, rugby and football, starring as offensive and defensive tackle in college. He was instrumental in forming the Lima Old Griffins rugby team. Matt loved the outdoors and motorcycling, especially his red Ducati and vintage BMW R90S. He was extremely proud of his Scottish heritage and participated in the Scottish Highland Festival games in an "appropriate kilt." But mostly, Matt loved his family and his friends, riding and Arturo Fuente fine cigars. RIDE ON MATT, RIDE ON. A celebration of Matt's life will be held at 1:00 p.m. Sunday, September 21 at Foothills Unitarian Church, 1815 Yorktown Ave., Ft. Collins. Please bring stories and memories to share. His family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made to the Matt Beatty Scholarship fund for his children's education.