Features Editor

June Freeman said she could hardly stay in the Troy Cablevision building on Tuesday. Everywhere were memories of her friend and co-worker, Matt Booth, who died in a one-car accident late Monday

night.

"None of us really knew what to say," she said. "We wanted to say something, but we didn’t know what. Matt was our cheerleader. He kept all of us going. He was a very outgoing and caring person.

According to information released by Troy Police Chief Anthony Everage, Booth, 45, was killed at approximately 11:25 p.m. in an accident which occurred on Pike County Road 1 in Troy.

He was pronounced dead at the scene by Pike County Coroner Jerry Williams.

The accident is still under investigation by the Troy Police Department.

Freeman got a call around 2 a.m. Tuesday. "Matt had been to eat with Dick (Freeman) and visited with friends," she said. "He was on his way home."

Home, she added, was important to Booth. "For Matt, family came first," Freeman said. "His daughter, Farah, was the shining star in his life and he loved his wife (Regina) very much. Anytime he talked about them, you could see his eyes light up. He was a wonderful person."

Booth knew how to laugh and he knew how to bring joy into the lives of others. And, Freeman said, he made a deliberate effort to make people feel important.

"Those of us who work in the office are together every day and get to enjoy being together, but the men out on the trucks don’t get to have that camaraderie," she said. "So, many afternoons, Matt and Steve (Camp) would pull out the grill and cook ribs or sausage or deer meat back in our ‘tailgate’ area. When the men came in, they would grab something to eat and sit around and talk for a while before going home. Matt wanted them to know that they were important. He was just that way."