Family, Friends & Fellow Officers Remember...

To the Rittenhouse Family,
Matt sounds a wonderful man and I know he is still with you, loving you every second of the day.May Our Lord Bless and Keep you all.

June 1, 2006

It's the last day of the month son, May has become one of the hardest months to get through now, just too much. Your birthday, Mother's Day, Police Week, Memorial Day.......all within days of each other. All entertwined with memories and stories of you, all told differently now. It used to be funny to tell how you were born on the Friday before Mother's Day and I waited as long as I could to go to the hospital since we were in the Florist business and it's the BUSIEST WEEKEND of the year!!!!!!,and then bless your heart your birthday parties always had to be scheduled around the holiday. You and your sisters always just thought our "abnormal" life at holiday times was "normal" and some of your favorite stories came from those times. Remember eating at the bar at Darryl's on Christmas Eve one year when you all were little because everything else was closed? You all LOVED it! For years I felt quilty because we had to drag you all around that night to pick up flowers for a funeral the next day....then I learned it was one of your all's favorite memories. We do have the stories, don't we, and the love.....for each other........forever and always. It's just hard, to be alone, to be without you, to be without all of us together on earth again. Our hearts are always together though, you are always a part of our lives..........Baby Boy, Bud, Matt, Mattthew, Uncle Matt, Uncle Mack.........and a thousand other things that you are to a thousand other people......forever and always.

Mom

Momma

May 31, 2006

Dear Matt:

I have been wanting to write to you and just cannot find the words I want to express. I am Cole's mom, and was at the memorial wall during police week. I visited your name on several occaisions and felt the love your family has for you. There was a write up about your sister doing the Unity Tour. I know you are proud. I am proud for her too. Your Mom left a picture of you and a card. I want you to know that I am proud that Cole is in such good company. Thank you Matt for your service and for the person you were. I leave this reflection with the most sincere respect and admiration for you and your family.

All my love
Debra Hickman
Mother of Cole Martin EOW 4/25/03

May 24, 2006

I was looking at the moon last night, and I felt you looking down on me. Thank you for your love that endures forever. I miss you always.

May 23, 2006

hey bro...well, geez louise, i did it...for you and for the family...i can't believe how quickly the ride was and honestly how well we all did. i can tell you that i gave it my all the whole time. i love you and miss you...i know you would have picked me up and spun me around after finishing had you been here...i look forward to you doing that in heaven. i love you forever and miss you until i see you again.
your 'lil sis
jessica

jessica
little sister

May 18, 2006

Matt
i was going through my training file a few days ago, and i found a copy of my fingerprint cards from when i started at Kingston, and i seen where you were the one that fingerprinted me. i started thinking back, as it was the first time i had met you. i thought this kids arrogant, but i soon learned it was not arrogance it was confidence in your job, and i came by frequently to shoot the bull. there is not a day that goes by that i don't think of you. I have a picture of you on my board at work, and one at home that your mother was kind enough to give me.I know we were not best friends, and we rarly had contact after you went to Harriman, but when we did see each other i could always depend on you for a good laugh. i remember you asked me to meet you at Pattersons one night for a 10-14. When i got there the guy was drunk off butt, and crazy as the day is long you laughed at me when i seen who it was. it took me days to get the smell out of my Jeep. I told you then i owed you one.unfortunately i never got to collect. You passed way before your time.You and Jones watch over us. This world get crazier everyday.

Ptlm Troy Wright
Kingston PD

May 17, 2006

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATT.....sorry it is late but things as you know were crazy around here thursday. This is to soon to happen again. We love you and still miss you.

lavada vance
friend

May 15, 2006

Matt, I meant to leave you a message on the 11th. It got really hecktic on the 11th. At least me and J. Mynatt made it up the hill to see you at about midnight on the 11th.
Im hoping your mom is doing ok today. We love and miss you greatly Matt.

Jason Joseph
Kingston Police Dept

May 14, 2006

Hey Matt! I haven't been here in a while, but I think about you every time I look in my wallet at the picture you mom gave me. Something told me to come here today and read your reflections and then I remembered that yesterday was your birthday. So Happy Birthday Matt!! Keep watching over us man! And we will see you again one day!

Chris Wilson
friend

May 12, 2006

Matt,
I didn't forget your birthday, I just got so busy at work that I couldn't leave a reflection until after midnight. I prayed for your family today as I always do, just today I asked God to supply a little more comfort than usual. I also asked him to help everyone remember the great times we all had together and help us through the sad moments. We miss you buddy.

Chris Massengill
Harriman City Police Department

May 11, 2006

Dear Linda and family, thank you so much for your posting on Tom McMeekin's page. He is my nephew, and had carried on a proud tradition in our family-- my dad was also a police officer, along with my two brothers and I. We will be there with heavy hearts this year, and will be thinking of your Matt also.

Capt. Michele Polk (Ret.)
Atl. City NJ Police Dept.

May 11, 2006

Happy Birthday Matt! We all miss you so much.

Amanda Redmon

May 11, 2006

Happy Birthday Matt!

K-9 Officer John Mayes & Christy
Harriman Police Dept

May 11, 2006

Happy Birthday Matt!

K-9 Officer John Mayes & Christy
Harriman Police Dept

May 11, 2006

Happy Birthday Matt. I love and miss you , Matt.

Bea

May 11, 2006

Happy Birthday buddy!

Nathan

May 11, 2006

happy birthday matt!!

today will be a very hard day for your family, please send a few extra angels to care for them. we miss you every day and we love ya, fluffy :)

executive secretary, jessica fink
harriman police department

May 11, 2006

Happy Birthday Matt.

Blake Kirkland

May 11, 2006

Matt-
I am packing to leave for D.C. in the morning and I keep getting distracted because it is your birthday tomorrow and it is all I can think about. I keep thinking there have to be photos of you, of any of us with you that I have not found yet... so I stop folding clothes and shuffle through mounds of pictures that I know have been searched many times over. I pull out pile after pile of memories looking for you in there somewhere. But there is nothing new. As sad as I am tonight I also smile-- I remember another birthday not so long ago. It will always seem like yesterday to me. As is our family custom to make a big deal over one's 21st birthday we planned the traditional fancy dinner at the Regas in Knoxville. And we waited. And we waited. And no Matt. So we all sat in the parking lot for what seemed an embarrassingly long amount of time until deciding to eat I-can't-remember-where without you. I can't recall what was ever the explanation for standing us up on YOUR birthday but I'm sure it was a good one. And remember that funny brithday dinner we had for you at Olive Garden? And your last birthday dinner at the Japanese place and I was terrified that Ethan would get third degree burns from that flaming grill thing at the table? But you just laughed and it was great. I love you and miss you.

Jenny Rittenhouse-Guinn

May 10, 2006

Matt,

I just wanted to tell you that you greatly missed, and there are things that come up daily that reminds me of how you were. On April 23, 2006 we had a half marathon 13.1 miles in your memory and I ran it beleive it or not. I thought about stopping at the sonic on the way through to keep the tradition up. The weird thing about the race I was listening to my MP3 player while running. We ran past the accident site and that song you requested that week before your accident came on by Alice In chains"Rooster". That helped give me the adrenline I needed to keep going. I finished 1st in my age group. The funny thing I was the only one in my age group. This past friday I went to a cook out at your parents house. We were there in support of Jessica, she has been training very hard to ride in the police unity tour. That takes alot of training/dedication. You have a wonderful family. Happy Birthday.

Assistant Chief Tim Philips
Harriman Police Department

May 10, 2006

Matty, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!
I am wishing you a Happy Birthday a few minutes early; you know how crazy the world is and how we sometimes forget the most important things. And your birthday is one I didn't want to forget. I know that you will watch over your loved ones each and every second. I pray for your family all the time; I pray they find the peace that is sometimes hard to find hidden in grief. Take care of your mother this Sunday on Mother's Day; she is blessed to still have 2 children and 2 grandchildren, but NOTHING in this world could ever replace the love she has for you. Tell my mom Happy Mother's Day for me and that I love her and miss her more than anything in this world. I love you.
Amy

May 10, 2006

Happy Birthday Matt, I know you are one of the brightest stars in heaven shining down on us. I love and miss you.

May 10, 2006

Hey Baby Boy,

We are closing the shop, getting ready to go to Washington in the morning for Police Week. Celebrating your birthday flying to see your name etched on a wall. I don't mean it to sound as harsh as it does, but it's the truth. 27 years ago tomorrow I got the second of the three greatest blessings of my life. I laughed, Daddy cried, and the wonderful whirlwind that was you started. It never stopped for 25 wonderful years. We said over and over through the years how blessed we were to have you all. We still are.........it's just different now. We miss you so much I don't see how we go on sometimes, but we do, but never is there a minute you are not foremost in our hearts and minds. You changed our lives and world FOREVER by being YOU........JESSE MATTHEW RITTENHOUSE.

I had a dream last night, I was standing at the edge of a huge forest, the trees were SO thick, I knew if I could just get through it you would be waiting for me. I could hear God saying Linda you HAVE to trust me. I'm trying son.

You always wanted to be a Police Officer, you did it with honor, integrity, and respect.

You are the best son a mom could ever have. Thank you for never telling me I had to stop calling you my baby boy.
Son of my life, I love you forever and always, to eternity and beyond. Thank you for being born 27 years ago on May 11, 1979.

Always and forever, Your Mom

Momma

May 10, 2006

To Matt's Mom & Family,

Thank you for the reflection & kindness that you left on Todd's page. We too will be in DC to honor all of our heroes, with heavy hearts, but proud thinking about Todd. I read all of the reflections that were left for Matt & I can see how proud all of you are of him - he must have been a very great man. I can see how much you love him. He is very lucky to have you for a Mom. Happy Mother's Day (a little early) and I hope that we get an opportunity to meet you in DC.

Tonya
Sister of Trooper Todd M. Larkins, EOW 07/08/2005

May 9, 2006

Thinking of you and your sacrifice today. I know you, Peter and thousands upon thousands of other fallen heroes are having a blast in Heaven, but sometimes it's so hard to miss you guys. Thank you for all you kid for your community. In the reflections on this page, I've read how missed and loved you are... God bless you and your family. I'm glad God lead them to this site to see how many of us across this nation will NEVER forget you. Say hi to Pete for me? Enjoy Heaven!

LEO Fiancee and friend of Peter Grignon EOW 3/23/05
Louisville, KY

May 5, 2006