Special, Matthew Allen

Matthew Allen Special, 23, of Blacksburg, Va., died Tuesday, January 4, 2011, at Roanoke Memorial Hospital. He was born in Carrollton, Texas on May 16, 1987. Matthew was a senior majoring in computer science and employed by the Gaming, Animation, Modeling, and Simulation Lab at Radford University. He is survived by his parents, Katherine Allen and Jeffrey Burr, of Blacksburg and Kenneth and Lori Special, of Raleigh, N.C.; brother and sister, Aidan and Nadia Special; grandparents, and many aunts, uncles, cousins, close friends, and best friend, William Walthall. A memorial service to celebrate Matthew’s life will be held on Sunday, January 9, 2011, at 2 p.m. in the McCoy Funeral Home Chapel. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Doctors without Borders. The family will receive friends Sunday from 1 to 2 p.m. prior to the service at McCoy Funeral Home, 150 Country Club Drive, SW, Blacksburg.