13-year-old Dover student remembered as ‘kind-hearted’ and ‘loving'

Alexys Gowen was in the kitchen with her brother, Matthew, the other night. And he was making her mad.

“Come fight me,” she said, jokingly. Then, Matthew cracked a joke.

“I just started laughing. And it changed the vibe — the mood,” said Alexys, 16, a sophomore at Dover Area High School. “We were just nice to each other then.”

Matthew Gowen, 13, of Dover Township, died on Thursday after he was struck by a vehicle on South Salem Church Road near Amy Avenue, according to the York County Coroner’s Office. He was an eighth-grader at Dover Area Intermediate School.

In an interview, Alexys said her younger brother was “probably the funniest kid I know.” He was a tough, creative and loving boy, she said, who aspired to become a police officer.

READ:Abigail Osborn's brother: 'I miss my sister dearly'

When he got back from school, Matthew would go outside, play football and ride bikes, which he liked to work on. He’d play Xbox — mostly, first-person shooters including “Call of Duty” and “Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege” — until 3 a.m., she said. 

He liked beef jerky and grilled cheese with barbecue sauce. Matthew, she said, was knowledgeable about cars and wanted to own a luxury vehicle, like a Bugatti, in the future. He was also active on Snapchat.

Matthew was driven. “If he had an idea,” Alexys said, “he would do it.”

Recently, Matthew and Alexys’ boyfriend came up with the idea to build a deck. They sketched out the design.

“He was a good little boy, you know?” she said. “He was growing up, and he was just taking life as it’s given to him.”

RELATED:Dallastown grad at Penn State dies in crash in Centre County

Another family member — Molly Fox, of West Manchester Township — said Friday that her son Zach and Matthew are cousins and both 13. 

"They're like little besties," Fox said.

On Thursday, Zach and Matthew were hanging out with friends at her ex-husband's home, also in Dover. They go there to ride bikes, play football or video games.

Zach stayed back at his dad's house, Fox said, and the other boys decided to head back home. At some point on the way back, they saw an elliptical machine on the side of the road with a "free" sign on it. So they decided to take it home — that's something Matthew had done in the past. Plus, Fox said, Matthew's mom is a workout fanatic.

"He was a sweetheart like that," Fox said. "I'm sure he was trying to bring the elliptical home to his mom."

Northern York County Regional police said they were called to the crash at about 7:30 p.m.

Four children had been walking and standing on the shoulder with the elliptical machine. That’s when a minivan struck Matthew and the machine, police said.

The driver, 35, and three other children were not physically hurt.

Police are asking people who have information to call (717) 467-TELL (8355) or to email tips@nycrpd.org. 

Fox set up an online donation page to help Matthew's family. She said that the Dover school superintendent left messages for family about ongoing counseling.

On Friday, Fox kept her daughter and son home from school. She spent the day cooking chicken tortilla soup and banana nut bread for Matthew's mom.

She even noticed through her own children's social media an outpouring of support for Matthew. She said some students on Friday wore white at the intermediate and high school in Dover as well as students in Central school district. Other kids used markers to draw on their shoes: Fly High Matthew.

"Everyone knew him," Fox said. "He was such an outgoing person."

Contact Dylan Segelbaum at 717-771-2102.