WESTBROOK – Family and friends of Westbrook’s Matthew Rairdon, who was murdered on Nov. 30, filled the Westbrook High School auditorium on Saturday, Dec. 7, to pay their final respects to the young man who was known to many as a positive and nurturing presence.

In a moving tribute, the Rev. Robert Vaillancourt didn’t shy away from mentioning that Rairdon was murdered, but he also said that people who knew him need to focus on the positive things that Rairdon brought to life.

“For those of you who knew him, in your amazing memories of Matt, you know that he had a passion for all those he met,” Vaillancourt said. “He had a passion for doing things for others, and you don’t see that kind of love in many 22-year-olds today.”

Rairdon was shot twice by Patrick Milliner, 33, of South Portland, who then killed himself. According to Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland, the shooting occurred at Rairdon’s 318 Main St. apartment, and both men died at the scene.

Authorities said the two men had been in a romantic relationship that had recently ended, and that due to the prior relationship, Rairdon’s death has been classified as a domestic-violence homicide.

Rairdon, a 2009 graduate of Westbrook High School, had recently graduated from the nursing program at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine and was an emergency room technician at Mercy Hospital in Portland.

In his remarks, Vaillancourt also shared stories that Rairdon’s parents, six siblings, and friends had shared with him.

“How many guys would take the time, on Valentine’s Day, to buy roses and bring them to their grandmother?” he said. “Look at what he’s teaching you today with his life.”

In May, Vaillancourt, who was the pastor of Holy Savior Parish in Rumford, was assigned to be hospital chaplain at Maine Medical Center and Mercy Hospital in Portland. Vaillancourt talked of the special work Rairdon did at the hospital.

“Look at the hope that Matt gave in those emergency rooms,” he said. “In the vulnerable state that people were in, he told them through his smile, and touch, that there is hope.”

During the service on Saturday, Rairdon’s sister, Chelsea, delivered a special eulogy, mentioning the funeral’s incredible attendance.

“Matt lived his life to the fullest, and touched so many lives during his 22 years,” she said. “He leaves a legacy that we should all live by.”

She also spoke of the positive and good-natured attitude that her brother brought to everything he did, and the lessons that people can learn from it.

“This world would be such a better place if we took Matt’s love and kindness and spread it around,” she said.

She added that Matthew had recently sent her a Dr. Seuss quote through Facebook that read, “Why fit in when you were born to stand out.”

“This gave me strength and courage to always be myself, and I will always continue to make my brother proud,” she said.

Also offering a special eulogy was Rairdon’s great-aunt, Donna Daley.

“Whether we’ve heard about him from another, or knew him ourselves, we’ve come to realize that he was a uniquely wonderful human being,” she said. “We’re also here today to stand by the hearts of the Rairdon-Wescott family, and their unspeakable loss and sorrow.”

Visiting hours on Friday, Dec. 6, were extended because of a large turnout, said Vaillancourt. Rairdon was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Westbrook.

Calls to McCausland this week for an update on the investigation were not returned by the American Journal’s deadline on Wednesday.

Rairdon’s death was the state’s 23rd homicide of the year and the 10th homicide that was domestic-violence related. It was the first case of murder-suicide in Westbrook since April 2009, when Kenneth Taylor stabbed his wife, Belinda Taylor, and then stabbed himself.

“Matt lived his life to the fullest, and touched so many lives during his 22 years. He leaves a legacy that we should all live by.”

Chelsea Rairdon

Matthew Rairdon