DENVER — A family is mourning a former Coloradan who was killed in an unusual accident while in Michigan with his wife.
Michigan State Police report 31-year-old Matt Morgrette was killed in the Upper Peninsula Sunday afternoon. Police said Morgrette was driving down a highway when a kayak on the roof of another car came loose and pierced his windshield. Morgrette's wife was also in the car but was not physically injured.
The pair were regulars at the Grateful Gnome, a sandwich shop and brewery in the Berkeley neighborhood of Denver.
"Matt was the nicest guy and just a smart kid," Grateful Gnome owner Daniel Appell said. "What you saw is what you got with Matt, and he was such a solid dude."
Appell said Morgrette was his health inspector before he was his friend.
"He was a stickler. Didn’t do me any favors, but did his job very well and we built rapport together over the years," Appell said. "He's a huge live music fan, as am I, so we'd listen to the same type of bands. Him and Lara would come in here all the time, weekly."
Appell said Morgrette and his wife moved back to Michigan a couple of months ago, but both decided to continue to be members of Grateful Gnome's mug club.
"They opted to leave their mugs here because they said they were going to come back," Appell said as he began to cry. "I always looked forward to it, but here we are."
This week, Appell is hosting a beer special in honor of Morgrette. Appell said Morgrette's favorite draft was their ESB, so for every ESB sold, 100% of the proceeds will go to his family.
"It’s just heart-wrenching. I wish I could do more for her. For them," Appell said. "I’ve lost loved ones, never quite like this. So my heart goes out to them."
The Grateful Gnome beer special will go through Oct. 31.
Michigan State Police said right now no charges have been filed in the accident, but they are still investigating. If it is deemed the person was driving with an unsecured load, he could face charges for a moving violation causing death.
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