Kalas Funeral Home & Crematory

When Matthew Lefler, Jr. was born on January 14, 1999, his parents' biggest hope was that he would know and accept Jesus. When Matthew died of a heart attack in his sleep on Memorial Day May 27, 2024, he was instantly in the arms of Jesus with hosts of angels rejoicing over him.

Matthew was a sensitive and steadfast man of integrity, kind-hearted, and truly cared about people. Family was of utmost importance to him. He felt the need to care for his siblings, cousins, even his grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles. His desire to reach out to people and give them a sense of belonging makes it hard not to call so many friends family. His loyalty was admirable.

He grew up attending Riva Trace Baptist Church with so many families becoming close-knit. What a blessing to have families who have loved you your whole life. He was also a member of Chesapeake Christian Fellowship where he chose to get baptized. He created a sense of community when he lead the young adult ministry, believing that this age group is so important to provide a safe place to nurture faith. He loved being a part of missions trips with RTBC, CCF and The Church at Severn Run. His analytical brain means he backed up his childlike faith by telling us about how science proves God's existence.

In Matthew fashion, he tackled Boy Scouts in the most thorough and accomplished way. He earned the Arrow of Light in Cub Scouts and continued with Troop 1214 to become an Eagle Scout. He was a senior patrol leader and Mr. Jay's right-hand-man. Many scout families became like family to us and he considered several fellow scouts like brothers.

Matthew  an earned an associate degree from AACC and was finishing his Bachelor of Science in Finance/Accounting. Most of his "education" stemmed from his love of knowledge and his lifelong learning which made him like a walking encyclopedia. As soon as he could legally work, he chose our beloved local Chick-fil-A, quickly moving into management positions due to his gentle leadership qualities. He was then trained to become a certified residential real estate appraiser by his uncle Steve and very quickly became one of only 1,300 certified appraisers in North Carolina. His tenacity and intelligence shown through.

He met his beautiful wife Jolie when they were introduced by Andrew at CFA and quickly fell in love with her after becoming best friends working together, at church and in spite of accounting class. Matthew was created to be a husband and father and he took his role of protector, provider and caretaker seriously. We all knew they would not wait long to have a baby and Rose Dare Lefler was born on January 19, 2024. Matthew loved deeply and Jolie and Rosie felt it in his consideration and care. Matthew was the best stay-at-home dad!

Matthew loved camping and the outdoors; many cherished memories happened around a campfire. He had a passion for boating and wanted others to have access to boating, so the theme of his Eagle project centered around this. He loved cooking, helping others being financially prepared, NASCAR, Thomas the Tank Engine and traveling.

Matthew  is survived by his wife, Jolie Lefler; his daughter Rose Dare Lefler; his parents Matt and Stacy Lefler, and his in-laws John and Joan Toryk. Matthew loved his siblings deeply: Casey and Katherine (Lefler) Shoup, Andrew Lefler, Rebekah Lefler, Trevor and Jenny Toryk and Tyler and Paige Toryk. He is also survived by his grandparents, Mike and Barb Kubera, Roger and Cindy Kolpien, Frank and Betsy Lefler and Carol Jones. Matthew was blessed with a close knit extended family: Steve, Heather and Avery Kubera; Frank, Jenn, Carl, Paul and Luke Lefler; Peter, Colleen, Joshua, Elizabeth, Carly and Maggie Byrnes; Tammy and Teagan Bruneman; and many beloved aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

Matthew wanted to draw people in to feel accepted and to know the love of Christ. An apt Bible verse for him from Micah 6:8 tells us how Jesus wants us to love Him and love our neighbor and to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with Him.

The family requests no flower arrangements. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes contributions to either of the following accounts to help provide for Rose Dare Lefler: 

- To provide for the gifts we know Matthew would have wanted to give to Rosie on special days, initiated by Matthew's parents, Stacy and Matthew Lefler, Sr. Checks should be made out to Stacy Lefler with "Daddy's gifts " in the memo field and mailed to Stacy Lefler, 1103 Brice Drive, Edgewater MD, 21037. 

- Funds to cover Rosie's college (or other higher education), initiated by Matthew's grandparents, Betsy and Skip Lefler. Checks should be made out to Rose Dare Lefler, with "Education" noted in the memo field, and mailed to The Leflers, 411 Walnut Street #21881, Green Cove Springs, FL 32043-3443. 

Friends and family are invited to celebrate Matthew's life on Monday, June 3 from 6 to 8 pm at Kalas Funeral Home & Crematory, 2973 Solomons Island Road, Edgewater, MD 21037. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, June 4 at 1 pm at Chesapeake Christian Fellowship, 377 W. Central Avenue, Davidsonville, MD 21035. Please take a moment to leave a condolence for the family using the Memories tab on this page.

Matthew Scott Lefler, Jr.

Matthew Scott Lefler, Jr.

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