“Next week will be one of the hardest for us, our first Christmas without Matt,” she said.
One of Smelser’s longtime co-workers, Jeffrey Pesarsick, now a flight paramedic with STAT MedEvac, recalled how Smelser was always ready.
He talked about a conference he and Smelser attended in Washington, D.C., and, while the pair relaxed in a restaurant during a conference break, Smelser interrupted Pesarsick.
“Man, that guy over there does not look well,” Pesarsick recalled Smelser saying.
“I no sooner took notice, and the gentleman fell over backwards (in his chair),” Pesarsick said.
The paramedics rushed over to help, finding the victim had no pulse.