LARGO, Florida — On New Year's Eve, 31-year-old Matthew DeRemer wrote a Facebook post reflecting on 2015 and his hopes for the new year.
Hours later, the Iraq war veteran was killed when an alleged drunk driver struck his motorcycle.
Many have been drawn to the Marine Corp veteran's inspiring final Facebook message, which has been viewed almost 25,000 times.
"I look back at 2015's huge challenges that I've overcome, shared with others, and have once again found myself," DeRemer said in the post. "I really don't know where I'll end up tonight but I do know where I wind up is where I'm meant to be."
Following DeRemer's death, his friends and family gathered at a small but growing memorial at the intersection where the 31-year-old was hit.
Messages from loved ones envelop the makeshift cross standing on the side of the road.
One from his father reads, "My son...God's son. -Dad"
The memorial is where Matthew's fellow bikers remember the man he was.
"I told him, every day I would try to come and read to him because the last time he spent with me, he was reading scripture to me...and we were praying," friend Rachel Mattocks said.
"He touched a lot of people's lives," agreed Wayne Gutierrez. "Sometimes those are the ones that get chosen first."
59-year-old Steven Clarke is being held in the Pinellas County Jail on DUI manslaughter charges.
