Matthew Laine Roberts, 40, of Battle Creek, formerly of Sherwood Township, passed away unexpectedly Wednesday, May 15, 2024 at Bronson Battle Creek Hospital.
A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, May 24, 2024 at the First Congregational UCC, 410 N. Broadway Street, Union City, MI 49094 with Pastor Deb Geiger officiating. Interment will follow at Sherwood Cemetery. A reception will follow the burial at the Vale Street Venue, 1745 E. Columbia Ave., Battle Creek, MI 49014.
Visitation hours will be held on Thursday, May 23, 2024 from 11:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. at Lighthouse Funeral & Cremation, 1276 Tate Trail, Union City, MI 49094. Family members will be present to receive visitors from 12:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
The family is being served by Lighthouse Funeral & Cremation in Union City.
Matt was born on August 16, 1983 to Marc and Christine (Beard) Roberts in Sturgis, Michigan. He was raised in Sherwood Township and attended Union City High School, graduating in 2002. He was a lineman for the 2001 Charger Football team that went undefeated in the regular season, winning the Big 8 Conference championship and made a deep run in the MHSAA football playoffs, finishing at 11-1. He was also active in FFA and the Branch County 4-H Fair, where he was the Sweepstakes Champion.
Always hardworking, Matt began his career at the Wallen Dairy Farm. He soon went to work for Prengers, Inc., Norbco Barn Equipment, and then started his own business, Roberts Barn Equipment. Several years later he went to work for GEA Farm Technologies of Romeoville, Illinois, where he quickly climbed the ranks from Robotics Sales Representative to Senior Director of Sales. He had much success in the dairy farm equipment business and was great at his job. He received many sales awards throughout his career.
Family was everything to Matt. He married the love of his life, Shannon L. Spooner, on December 23, 2010 at the First Congregational UCC in Union City. He was a great father, a loving husband, and a wonderful son and son-in-law.
He served as an assistant coach for football and lacrosse at Harper Creek. Often described as a gentle giant, Matt was kind, thoughtful and could be a real jokester. He was a skilled grill master and enjoyed cooking, canning, gardening, farming, sports and entertaining friends.
He also loved traveling, with his job taking him through North America and Germany. He enjoyed going to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico with his loved ones.
In addition to his wife, Shannon, Matt is survived by his son, Griffin Roberts; his stepsons, Colin, Hayden and Blake; his parents, Marc (Chris) Roberts of St. Johns; his sister, Tia Roberts of Bath; his mother-in-law, Rebecca (Marc) Spooner-Taylor of Union City; his grandmother Janette Roberts of Sherwood; his aunt, Marlene (Jerry Sharpe, Jr.) Roberts of Tuscon, AZ; his brother-in-law Noel (Samantha) Spooner of Hanover; his sisters-in-law, Deidre (Brady) Swartzle of Union City and Kylie (Dan Cook) Spooner of Union City; his nieces & nephews, Mila and Maddon Fatter, Devin and Dustin Spooner, Josie, Simon and Bryce Swartzle, Delia Raymond and Dax Cook; his many cousins and close friends.
Matt was preceded in death by his paternal grandfather, Warren Roberts; his maternal grandparents, Lum (Barbara) Beard; his father-in-law, Dennis Spooner; his uncle, Joe Beard, and his aunt, Margaret Young-Probst.
Memorial contributions may be directed to the Branch County Fair, 262 South Sprague Street, Coldwater, MI 49036, Harper Creek High School Athletics, 12677 Beadle Lake Rd, Battle Creek, MI 49014, or Union City High School Athletics, 430 Saint Joseph Street, Union City, MI 49094.
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