Matthew Jackson - a Good Samaritan in California

Matthew Jackson

On November 10, 2015, Jamie-Lynn Knighten, age 29, of Carlsbad, California, was shopping late in the evening at a grocery store in Oceanside.

She had her 5 month old son with her. She also has a 2 1/2 year old child.

Jamie-Lynn's grocery purchase came to about $200. She had forgotten her debit card at home. She was tired and frazzled with her infant son fussing beside her. 

It was then that Matthew Jackson, age 28, stepped up and said that he would cover her grocery bill if she would promise to do the same for someone else at some time in the future. 

Jamie-Lynn refused this offer at first but Matthew insisted and genuinely wanted to help her. She ultimately accepted his kind and generous offer of help. 

Several days after their meeting, Jamie-Lynn tried to contact Matthew to thank him again. He had stated during their encounter at the grocery store that he worked at a nearby gym. 

Jamie-Lynn spoke to the manager of the gym who told her that, tragically, Matthew had died in a car accident on November 11, 2015 - the day after his kind gesture to Jamie-Lynn. 

Matthew had been performing another good deed by driving a co-worker whose car had broken down, when the tragic auto accident occurred. 

Matthew's co-workers were heartbroken over his death and so was Jamie-Lynn. 

She has set up a Facebook page called "MatthewsLegacy" to commemorate Matthew and to carry on his legacy of paying it forward by performing good deeds for strangers.

Jamie-Lynn stated that: “This is what the world needs to hear. This is what I want my kids to see. I want my kids to recognize that there are still really, really good people out there.”

Matthew was engaged to be married. 

Matthew is survived by many loving friends and family members who will forever miss him. 

Angels of God, pray for Matthew and for all who come to
the aid of strangers. 

He is also survived by many loving friends who have never met him but who wish that they had. 

Thank you for your kindness, Matthew. 

Pray for all who die by misadventure. They are with us one moment and are gone before we can say goodbye. 

We need more men like Matthew in this world. 

Pray that Matthew is in Heaven. Pray that he is at peace and is with God. Amen.