Matthew Darby liked fast cars, an occasional prank and anything to do with water.

"He was a little boy at heart," his wife, Melinda, told The Providence Journal. "He loved toys, any kind of toys."

Once, while taking his friend's Corvette for a test drive on New York City streets, he stopped traffic, spinning the wheels of the car in the middle of the intersection.

"He just took life full on, and then he would sit there and just laugh," Melinda Darby said.

Matthew Darby, 36, was the owner and operator of Cousins Painting in Coventry, where he lived.

"He liked his independence," said his father-in-law, Ed Keenan. "He tried to work for other people but didn't like it." He liked to surf, swim and sit in the sun.

"Florida was his favorite place to be, because of the ocean -- until he found Newport," his wife said.

"He just liked everything about the water."

He has one daughter, and his wife is expecting a baby girl.