By Zack Comeau

Editorial Staff

This summer, a recent graduate of Framingham State University was struck and killed by a drunk driver while operating his motorcycle at around 8 p.m. on the night of Saturday, August 20.

Matthew Denice, 23,  was traveling north on Congress Street in Milford when Nicolas Dutan Guaman, 34, ran a stop-sign and struck Denice as he was on his way home from a friends’ house after helping him work on his car, according to police logs.

According to his mother, Denice was trying to get home before dark. He was always cautious about riding at night, she said.

A 2006 graduate of Milford High School, Denice graduated last spring with a degree in computer science from FSU.

He is survived by his mother, Maureen Maloney, stepfather, Michael Maloney, brother, Michael Denice, his girlfriend, Shannon Yost, all from Milford,  his father, Harry Denice, of Quarryville, Penn. and friends from his hometown and FSU.

Maureen Maloney, Denice’s mother, said his graduation from FSU was her “proudest moment.” According to Mrs. Maloney, Denice was not originally accepted to FSU, and was told he would have to attend another school to raise his GPA. After one year at Salem State and making the Dean’s List, he transferred to Framingham.

Mike Maloney, Denice’s stepfather, remembers his stepson’s “infectious” smile upon receiving his diploma, which was captured on camera. “It was a beautiful moment,” he said.

“If you look at all the pictures – and I’ve looked at a lot – I haven’t seen any frowns or sadness.

“He was just a spirited kid,” he said. “He was going places.”

Mrs. Maloney said she wants to advocate about the dangers of drunk driving, something which her son knew to avoid.

About a month and a half before his death, Denice came home at 1:30 a.m. without his car. When his mother asked him where his car was, he said he had a few beers, so he walked home from his girlfriend’s house – a three-mile walk.

“His friends have told us that he was always the one to go pick somebody up if they were out drinking,” Mrs. Maloney said.

The community was deeply affected by this tragedy and Denice’s parents have recognized that they are not alone in their grief.

The community has stepped forward by organizing a candlelight vigil in downtown Milford, a motorcycle ride in Denice’s name and a benefit show at Rad Skatepark in Mendon. They have also passed out bumper stickers advocating for increased awareness for motorcyclists.

According to Mrs. Maloney, Denice had an interest in law enforcement, so Milford Police Chief Thomas O’Loughlin presented the family an honorary badge with which he was buried.

Businesses in the area have displayed signs commemorating Denice since his death. He was also honored by the Red Sox during a game last week.

According to his parents, Denice and his friends purchased tickets for last week’s game over the summer, and his friends arranged to have him honored on the large centerfield screen.

Bracelets were made in Denice’s honor, which have the words “Live life to the fullest. Matt Denice 8/20/11” around them. A peace sign is engraved on each bracelet because he was known to flash the peace sign frequently, according to his mother.

“’Live life to the fullest’ – that’s really what he did in his short life,” she said. “He was so loved by his many friends. Hopefully he leaves a piece of himself with all of them.”

One of those friends, Chris Hodney, a classmate and co-worker at Brooks Pharmacy in Milford (now Rite-Aid) remembers Denice as a “selfless person.”

Hodney recalls the generous deeds Denice performed to help others, such as volunteering to drive places and picking up his girlfriend from work.

“At work, he would always help if we needed anything. He was always there to help, and it made him happy to do it,” Hodney said.

Hodney said he found out about Denice’s death from a text on Sunday morning – the morning after he was killed. “I didn’t believe it. After reading the details it seemed even more unreal,” he said.

“I couldn’t believe that anyone could do what was done to Matt.”

Among all the memories Hodney has of Denice, what will stick with him the most is Denice’s laugh. “I’ll never forget it. It was really distinctly him, and you couldn’t help but laugh with him, even if you had no idea why,” he said.

At the Aug. 26 candlelight vigil, Hodney was among the reported 1,000 people gathered there to mourn the loss of his friend.

“It was great to see all the support for his family and friends,” Hodney said. “I saw so many people from high school that I haven’t seen in years, and we all swapped stories about the good times that we had with Matt.”

Stephen Supernor, a 2008 graduate of Milford High School and a senior at FSU, remembers Denice as “the nicest kid.

“He was friendly to everyone and you
could tell he truly cared about you,” Supernor said. “He always had a smile on his face and I’ll remember him most for that.”

Shawn Lyons, a classmate and a fellow car enthusiast, remembers Denice as “a great classmate and a stand-up character.”

In several tough business classes together, they would chat about their cars, which Lyons said taught him a lot.

“His passion about his ride was inspring,” he said. “I’ll miss him.”

Denice’s girlfriend, Shannon Yost, a 2011 graduate of FSU with a degree in Psychology, remembers him as “an amazing guy.”

Yost, who began dating Denice in their junior year of high school, recalls how friendly her boyfriend was with her young cousins.

“He taught them the peace sign and ‘peace dude,’” she said. “Whenever I walked through the door, my cousins would run excitedly asking, ‘When’s your Matt coming over?’”

She remembers that Denice was always able to make everyone laugh, “especially with his one liners, random stories and excitement.” His great sense of humor, she said, will stick with her forever.

Yost remembers how caring and willing to help Denice was. She and Denice both commuted to FSU and would make the drive together. According to Yost, Denice would drop her off at the top of the hilly campus before he parked so she wouldn’t have to lug her books up the hill, “just one small example of just how good of a person Matt was,” she said.

She remembers Matt having such a large impact on her life, giving him full credit for all the success she has had, “including graduating college.

“Matt was truly one of a kind,” Yost said. “We had a once in a lifetime kind of love.”

One of Denice’s closest friends, Zack Thomas, a sophomore at FSU and a graduate of Milford High, remembers his friend as “a very sincere guy who would stick up for his friends no matter what.”

While Thomas and Denice had some “pretty outrageous adventures,” he remembers the relaxing times having cookouts and how they used to “really enjoy hanging out and having fun.”

Thomas found out about his friend’s death from a Facebook status update. “I don’t remember who it was exactly because there were just so many of those statuses that came after that, but I do remember thinking, ‘This is a joke. Ha ha, very funny.’”

After Thomas scoured every major local news outlet on the Internet for confirmation, he learned that the accident happened within a mile of his house.

“I remember I was kind of in a daze, and the next minute, I was running down Congress Street towards Fayette Street,” he said. “It seemed like seconds ago I was in my room, and then I was just crouched down on the ground crying, staring at a torn-up lawn and skid marks and flowers for my friend.”

Thomas also attended the vigil for Denice and saw many familiar faces who were there to show their support.

“There were a lot of teary eyes everywhere, and we all felt the same way,” he said. “I remember forcing myself to make my friend laugh so that he wouldn’t cry.

“We all just wanted our friend back,” said Thomas.

At Rad Skatepark benefit show, Thomas said he saw nothing but “positive energy.” All proceeds went to the Matthew Denice Memorial Fund.

He said he still drives past the scene of the accident every day, and will always remember his friend as an “honest man with an infectious type of personality.

“They always say that the good die young, and Matt was one of the best I’ve ever met,” he said.