4 minute read
The Hoods: From the Marines to Marple
Written by Craig Whitney
Photographs by Annie Whittington Photography www.AnnieWhittington.com
Matt and Brooke Hood met through an online dating service. Brooke’s profile said she was looking for 24-year-olds. Matt, only 23 and a patient man with a firm respect for rules, honored Brooke’s preference and waited several months until he turned 24 before asking her out on a date. “It wasn’t really that important,” Brooke explained about the age preference in her dating site profile. “But that’s just who Matt is: He follows all the rules.”
Matt served in the Marines from August 2004 to 2014. He was a calibration and repair technician on all aircraft platforms, including jets and helicopters. After working his way up the ranks, Matt became a Sergeant and program manager. When Matt joined the Marines, he was primarily stationed up and down the east coast. But he was also stationed for awhile by the Gulf of Mexico, then did one tour in Iraq in 2007. “I loved being in the Marines,” Matt raved. “The people I served with are like my family.”
Three of Matt’s closest friends served with him in the Marines, and when he and Brooke got married, they scheduled their wedding on Memorial Day so his friends could all come to Pennsylvania for the wedding.
Brooke graduated from Manor College with an Associates Degree in Applied Sciences with a specialization in Expanded Function Dental Assistant (EFDA). She currently works in the field as an EFDA. She loves the work she does, the people she meets every day, and the office environment she works in.
Brooke and Matt’s first date was to the movies. As Matt walked up to her front door, Brooke’s dog Babe ran out to inspect the new person. “Babe was always a very kind dog, never did anything mean,” Brooke stated, “so I jokingly said ‘Get him, Babe!’” As a shock to both Brooke and Matt, Babe started chasing and barking at Matt. He turned and ran across the lawn as Babe bounded after him. “I almost climbed on my car hood,” Matt added with a laugh. “If I had known Babe was toothless at the time, I wouldn’t have been so worried!”
Even though they met with Matt nearly being attacked by a (toothless) dog, from then on, everything got much better. Matt was stationed at Willow Grove at that point, so he and Brooke were a short drive from each other. Soon, they were living together in Lansdale as Matt continued at the reserve base in Willow Grove. “That time was very special,” Brooke said fondly. “There was always someone on our couch: People who couldn’t get home for the holidays or friends staying over for the weekend. It was always a full house.”
Brooke’s family was also generous to Matt’s friends. If someone couldn’t get leave for the holidays, Brooke’s family welcomed them into their home.
The friends Matt made were like family, then and even now, so many years later. “We still get texts from friends who live all over,” Matt said. “Once, we got a text from a friend who lives several states away, saying ‘Hey, I’ll be there in six hours.’ They’re all still comfortable dropping by at a moment’s notice, and we’ll always have a place for them.”
After several years, Matt and Brooke held their wedding at Overbrook Golf Club. Old friends and Marines from all over the country shared Matt and Brooke’s very special Memorial Day together, one that ushered in the rest of their life.
The young newlyweds then started looking for a place to raise their family. They wanted somewhere that was fun, vibrant and with a supportive community. Brooke grew up in Broomall and felt confident it was the perfect place for them. And that’s where they’ve since raised their two children, Trinity and Jayson. Other family members are a dog named Rider and two cats, Oreo and Rigby.
left to right: Rider, the Hood family's Husky, with Matt, Trinity, and Brooke holding little Jayson
Jayson is only ten months old, so the one with the biggest schedule is Trinity. She’s a seventh-grader at Paxon Hollow Middle School. She loves playing soccer and lacrosse, and Matt and Brooke love going to her games. “I’m a pretty hardcore soccer mom,” Brooke smiled. “My life consists of games and tournaments. Soccer is life.”
Brooke and Matt playing with Jayson
When Trinity isn’t playing sports, she enjoys several different clubs and activities like French club and cooking. Most of all, she loves being a big sister. “When we told her that I was pregnant,” Brooke said. “She started crying, saying she’s wanted to be a big sister her whole life.”
Now that Matt is retired from the Marines, the Hood family has been able to go on some fun vacations. They’ve gone to Disney World twice. They enjoy Ocean City and Sea Isle City each summer. They also visit Matt’s family in Tennessee, and they’ve vacationed in Gatlinburg, an area similar to the Poconos here in Pennsylvania.
Matt currently works as a soccer instructor for young children and a coach for multiple teams, while also pursuing a Doctoral degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a specialization in Sports Psychology. His second career focus came from a love of sports and a passion for supporting mental health that he got from his time as a Marine. With a house full of young kids, dogs and cats, a full-time job and a doctorate program, Matt knows how to keep busy. The young, busy, and energetic Hood family is happy to call Marple their home.
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