By Kyle Coppola
Longtime Umatilla Business Owner Matthew MacArthur Passes Away
UMATILLA, Fla. — Matthew “Matt” MacArthur, the longtime owner and operator of Wayne’s Automotive in Umatilla, passed away peacefully at AdventHealth Waterman Hospital, surrounded by friends and family.
MacArthur had battled health complications in recent years due to a lifelong struggle with diabetes, which ultimately led to organ failure. Despite his health challenges, he remained a beloved figure in the Umatilla community, known for his dedication to his business and his customers.
(Matt was a beloved business owner in our community and our thoughts and prayers are with his family.)
For decades, Wayne’s Automotive stood as a staple in the town, earning MacArthur a reputation for his hard work, kindness, and commitment to service. Those who knew him say he will be deeply missed but never forgotten.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been finalized and will be announced at a later date.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
