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Former Bay Area Man Missing After Canadian Kayak Trip

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By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 14, 2008

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• Listen To "Ballad Of The Mineshaft Canaries" by Matthew A. Brown

Matthew A. Brown

TAMPA - Bloomingdale High School graduate Matthew A. Brown went kayaking in Canada and went missing Saturday after a storm rolled through.

Though his body hasn't been found, his family will hold a memorial service for him Saturday in Temple Terrace.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police fear Brown, a 30-year-old graduate of nursing school at Santa Fe Community College, drowned in Bow Lake in Alberta. Brown wasn't wearing a life jacket, Cpl. David Vanden Brink said.

"The active search is complete, but we will continue to investigate," Vanden Brink said.

Brown played guitar in several bands and as a solo act in Gainesville. He also composed music, including instrumental acoustic guitar music. He loved cycling cross-country.

Larry Brown called his son a smart, free spirit who knew from an early age he was going to go his own way.

Matthew Brown moved to Portland, Ore., in June and decided to take off three months before starting a job in September as a nurse. He flew to Alaska and planned to ride his bicycle to Portland. A friend was going to travel with him.

They were ahead of schedule on their trip and decided to stay at Banff National Park in Alberta.

That park was where he was last seen.

"Matt was so taken with Bow Lake and the beautiful surrounding area," his family wrote in an e-mail to the Tribune. "Saturday afternoon was a warm, sunny day, so Matt decided to take out a kayak. He took a book and some sunscreen with him. After he had been gone for about an hour, a severe thunderstorm passed through."

The storm lasted an hour or longer, and afterward, people went looking for him. Boats found the kayak but not Brown.

Authorities looked for him that night and the following day, his father said.

The family was called early Sunday morning on its way to church to learn he was missing, and at that point the family thought there was still hope. But a call hours later with Royal Canadian Mounted Police made it clear there was little likelihood he would be found.

The search was suspended late Sunday afternoon in Alberta, and investigators told the family that because the lake is 300 to 400 meters deep and the water is so cold, it's unlikely the body will be recovered.

"They had done a very good job of preparing us mentally this was the likelihood," Larry Brown said.

Some of the personal items Brown took on the trip are being shipped back for the family, which must travel to Portland to pick up his bicycle and other items.

Brown is survived by his father, Larry Brown, and stepmother, Janice Brown; mother, Judith Johnston, and stepfather, Gerald Johnston, all from Tampa; brother, Geoffrey Brown, and his wife, Aparna, of Boston; brother, Cpt. Nathan Brown of Fort Carson, Colo.; and grandfather, Maxime Girouard and his wife, Marguerite, of Pinellas Park.

Saturday's memorial service and reception will be at noon at Corpus Christi Catholic Church, 9715 56th St. N., Temple Terrace.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Brown's name to the Santa Fe College Endowment.

To listen to his music, go to his MySpace page at www.myspace.com/witnessthefitness.

Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at jpoltilove@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7691.

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