LAKEVIEW, Mich. -- Family and friends gathered Tuesday to remember Matt Hoaglin, 33, who died Monday in a crash near Kent City.
"It's been a really hard time with everyone," James Blenman said. The two worked together at the Bouma Corporation in Grand Rapids. "He was a hardworking man who loved his family. He's got two daughters that he cares a lot about."
Hoaglin's friends and family gathered Tuesday at the Alleycat Bar & Grill in Lakeview to share photos and their favorite memories of him.
"He's a super great guy," said Daniel Bell, Hoaglin's friend since elementary school. "He could make anyone smile, he was a great guy and he could light up a room. He had a big heart and he wore it on his sleeve and he would help anyone that he could at any time. He'd give you the shirt off his back."
Matt's mother Rebecca Lockwood issued a statement to FOX 17 on Tuesday in which she said, "My whole world has been shattered. I will never hear my son say, 'I love you, momma.' My granddaughter will never know her daddy. My baby boy is gone."
Michigan State Police say Hoaglin was driving south when the driver of a semi-truck pulled out in front of him. Hoaglin's pick-up truck hit the side of the semi and was lodged underneath it. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.
"We had left work together. He stopped at the gas station and I kept going and that was the last time I saw him," said Blenman. "The next thing I knew I got a phone call from Matt's mom that he was already gone, and there was nothing they could do."
