Smelser funeral draws huge crowd
By Paul Peirce
Trib Total Media
More than 300 emergency medical technicians, paramedics, firefighters and police officers gathered under a steady rain Friday in Monongahela to honor Matthew C. Smelser.
They stood shoulder to shoulder and stretched two blocks down Chess Street for a finale salute to the Rostraver West Newton paramedic supervisor who was killed in the line of duty this week.
An overflow crowd of mourners congregated outside Marshall Marra Funeral Home, where funeral services were held for the 43-year-old first responder who co-workers said died doing the job he wanted to do since he was a teenager.
Smelser, a father of two, was killed after being struck by a tractor-trailer while treating a motorist injured in a crash along Interstate 70 in South Huntingdon about 5:30 a.m. Sunday. State police said icy roads might have been a factor in the deadly accident, which is under investigation.
Instead of a hearse, Smelser’s coffin was transported to Monongahela Cemetery for interment in a Rostraver West Newton Emergency Services ambulance outfitted with memorial black bunting. A green wreath with a black bow adorned its front grill. The Pittsburgh Paramedic Piper and Drum Corps played bagpipes and drums as he was carried out of the funeral home by emergency service personnel.
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