Glen Matthew Nygren Sr., age 67, of Ada, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. He was preceded in death by his parents, Glen and Mary Nygren.
Matt is lovingly remembered by his wife of 38 years, Cherie; his children, Melissa Ross, Glen (Emily) Nygren, and Mary Regan; his cherished grandchildren, Austin Ross and Harrison Regan; his brother, Erik (Sue) Nygren; and his sisters, Karin (Oscar) Espinal and Kim (Mike) Montgomery, along with many extended family members and dear friends.
A graduate of Grand Haven High School, Matt dedicated much of his life to serving others. He proudly served with the Ada Fire Department and worked as a firefighter in Iraq from 2004 to 2005. Matt embraced life with enthusiasm and adventure. He enjoyed NASCAR racing—especially cheering for Dale Earnhardt—along with skiing, snowboarding, camping, and spending time at the beach in Grand Haven, a place that always held a special place in his heart.
Family will greet friends and relatives from 6-8pm on Monday, June 8, 2026, at O’Brien-Eggebeen-Gerst Funeral Home, 3980 Cascade Road SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546. Funeral services will take place at 12pm on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at the funeral home, with visitation one hour prior.
Memorial contributions may be made to Faith Hospice.
3 Responses
There are people who make an impression on you. Matt was definitely one of those people. He was kind and funny. I think about him and all of our wild reckless adolescences hanging out in Earl’s barn, living in our suits at the beach, riding a bike with a banana seat, off the end of the pier…
It’s an honor to have known him is a kid.
Matt was one of my first and best friends growing up and throughout our teen years. Matt knew how to have a great time and a great time narrowly avoiding trouble. Too many memories stored up to mention. RIP dear friend.
Yeah, Matt was part of the Lake Street gang in the 1960s. We all hung out and mostly had great fun. It was a great neighborhood and a great time to be alive. One day we decided to have a pet cemetery. We would pick up roadkill and give it a final resting place in Matt‘s backyard. I remember his family well and he surely will be missed. Those were the good old days… I’m sure a lot of you remember that timeframe…