Matthew Gabrielle Drew

Matthew “Matt” Gabrielle Drew passed away unexpectedly from cardiac arrest on March 13, 2023 in Mebane, North Carolina. He was 28.

Matthew was born on March 30, 1994 in Morganton, NC. He was adopted on May 7, 2004 by Matt and Ashton Drew in Durham, NC. Since 2015, Matthew has lived with his partner Kelsey Keeter and son Seth Keeter in the Mebane, NC. Matthew and Kelsey had been planning to surprise their family with news of their marriage, scheduled for March 15, so the timing of his death is especially difficult.

Matthew liked to introduce himself as someone with a dark and dangerous side. But the Matthew we all knew was compassionate and generous and always wanted to get everyone in the room laughing. Seth would also like people to know that Matthew was smart, fast, and nice. Anyone who worked with Matthew knew him as hard-working, dedicated, and funny. He excelled as a mentor and caregiver and was most proud when he was able to offer someone comfort or solace.

Matthew is survived by his fiancée, Kelsey Keeter, and son, Seth Keeter; as well as by his parents Ashton and Matt Drew, brother William “Willie” Mayfield, and many extended family members in North Carolina and Yukon, Canada. He is preceded in death by his sister Tiffanie Udzinski.

A memorial service will be held at 3pm on Tuesday, March 21 at Walker's Funeral Home (204 N. Churton Street, Hillsborough, NC). All are welcome to come and share stories of Matthew. In lieu of flowers, a GoFundMe site has been established to assist Kelsey with immediate expenses and to establish an education fund for Seth.

Walker's Funeral Home of Hillsborough is assisting the family.