Matthew David Chase

Windham Matthew David Chase, 35, of Windham, passed away December 18th, 2016, from FTD (FrontoTemporal Dementia/Degeneration). He was the son of Dorian Bannister of Windham, ME and William Chase Jr (Marjorie) of Enfield, NH. Matt was born July 29th, 1981, during the Royal wedding. He caused mischief from the very beginning by making all the nurses miss the "I do's." At 2 weeks old it was noticed that he was already singing, followed quickly by dancing as soon as he could stand. Matty's first attempted dance performance involved trying to follow his sister onto the stage at age 2. His actual first performance was at age 3 as part of the reindeer herd in the Maine State Ballet's The Nutcracker. He continued dancing with MSB until his final performance in 2009 when he was affected by symptoms of his disease. Matthew danced and sang his way through life in Windham Maine. He attended the Windham school system, and Maine State Academy for the Performing Arts, graduating in 1999. Matthew was a member of The Windham High School Chamber Singers. He managed to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout despite getting sent home from Scout camp for causing mayhem with fire crackers. He was active in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and served a mission in Idaho. Matt attended BYU in Provo, UT, on a dance scholarship; where he also completed classes in business, and construction management. He performed with BYU’s Theater Ballet, and as a guest artist for local ballet companies. He also studied at USM where he focused on engineering. Matthew started working at his father’s side at age 14 for EASI/Pool Environments in Portland. He excelled in every facet of the manufacturing process from electrical work to developing and programming the control systems, field start up and technical support. Matthew was preceded in death by his sister, Katherine. In addition to his parents, he leaves behind sisters Elizabeth "Biz" of Weymouth, MA, Victoria (nephew Trenton McNally) of Windham, and Allyson (Harold III) Walters of Seattle, WA; uncle Jeffrey (Candace) Bannister of Seattle, WA - cousins Troy and Parker; aunt Gerry Lynn Bannister of Atlanta, GA; uncle Mark (Debbie) Chase of Littleton, NH - cousins Amanda and Dylan; aunt JoEllen (Ben) Harris of MI; uncle Geoffrey Chase of MI; aunt Patty Ann (Tom) Gnefkow - cousins Emily and Allison. We want to thank The Charlotte White Center in Dexter for their 3 1/2 years of outstanding care, patience, and love for Matt whether it was playing catch for hours on end, skipping down the hallway, or simply holding him close. Also to River Ridge Center in Kennebunk for their gentle care this past year. He was rarely still unless he had his nose in a book. He enjoyed a variety of sports, snowboarding, motorcycling, wakeboarding, and general hijinks. Matty was known for making many friends wherever he went. He continued to charm people even throughout his illness, gathering them into his life. His family and friends will hold him always in our hearts, until we meet again. As an option instead of flowers, please consider donating in Matthew's name to: To donate to the Charlotte White Center to further their support and work with those affected by FTD/ABI visit the CWC website www.charlottewhitecenter.org. Or mail donations to Charlotte White Center 572 Bangor Road Dover Foxcroft Me 04426 AFTD to support advocacy, diagnosis, support services, research, treatment, and a cure. Donations can be made at TheAFTD.org or by clicking on the following link: https://www.theaftd.org/get-involved/ways-to-give/electronically. Services will be held Friday, December 23rd at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at 755 River Rd Windham ME 04062. Visiting will be 10-1045am. Service at 11, followed by a brief reception.

Matthew David Chase

July 29, 1981 - December 18, 2016

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