A Pembroke Academy student, whom family members said would do anything to make someone laugh, died Wednesday, May 9, after his heart unexpectedly failed.

Matthew Couture, 15, was smart, outgoing and loved by both family and friends, both his mother and stepfather said.

“He was always our entertainment, and from the kids we’ve met over the last couple of days, he was their entertainment too,” said Couture’s stepfather, Paul Trainor. “We’ve been meeting so many friends who just loved him and adored him.”

Couture, a freshman at Pembroke Academy, died after collapsing in his bedroom. A medical examiner said Couture had a very abnormal artery that had been constricting blood flow and possibly damaging heart tissue, said Trainor, who gave CPR to Couture after hearing him collapse.

An ambulance crew arrived at the family’s North Pembroke Road home about 20 minutes after Couture collapsed, but was unable to revive him, Trainor said.

“It’s one of those things you can never forget,” said Trainor. “He was lifeless.”

Couture’s mother, Melissa Trainor, described her son as “smart, maybe too smart sometimes.”

When he was a student at Pembroke’s Three Rivers School, he was consistently on the honor roll and once made it to the state level geography bee competition. His academic interests leaned toward science, mathematics and mechanics, the Trainors said.

Said Paul Trainor, “He was just naturally smart. He didn’t even have to apply himself, he just knew things.”

Couture was also an athlete, joining PA’s football and lacrosse programs this year. Couture, who stood over 6 feet tall, was still growing, his mother said.

“It’s like he grew two or three inches just in the last couple of weeks,” said Melissa Trainor.

On Thursday, May 10, the PA lacrosse team honored Couture by wearing all-black shirts. The team shut out its opponent in a victory, said Melissa Trainor.

Paul Trainor said Couture loved spending time with his father, George Couture, and the pair would go on regular trips to a camp in northern New Hampshire to ride four-wheelers and snowmobiles.

Couture also loved fishing, building virtually anything and practical jokes, the Trainors said.

“He also loved to cook,” said Melissa Trainor. “A lot of people don’t know that.”

But the Trainors said Couture’s biggest interest was making everyone around him smile.

“He would do anything for a laugh,” said Paul Trainor. “He was just a great kid.”