There is a cadre of us who became friends with Matt during our college years and early 20's. 

We maintained close ties, despite some significant gaps in time and major geographical distances, largely due to Matt's talent for staying in touch and keeping tabs on everyone via the occasional phone call, email, or text.

Whenever in town, we made sure to get together with him and Ross Anderson (who, along with Matt, has called Seattle home since they originally moved out Washington State in the late 80's). The goal was to have a nice meal together and get caught up.

And, over the decades, several of us old buddies had a handful (in every sense of the word) of epic and awesomely fun outdoor adventures with Matt via bike, raft, kayak, backpack, and/or skis.

It's hard to believe it's been a year since Matt has passed. It seems like just yesterday that I met the amazing man my sister would marry. When I first met Matt, I was struck by his uncanny resemblance to William Katt in the 80's sitcom The Greatest American Hero. For those of you that aren't familiar with this show, it was about a high school teacher on a field trip that basically gets visited by aliens and is endowed with special powers to fight injustice (even better than Mork and Mindy in my opinion). It was the blonde curls and the bright eyes along with his good nature that reminded me of my favorite character.

Over the years, Matt did not disappoint. He was an amazing brother-in-law, uncle, husband, father, son-in-law, teacher and friend. He always knew just what to say or not say. He would make the trek to Bakersfield with Katy and the kids for many holidays without a complaint. He would arrive with a smile and offer to help prepare a meal (his Caesar was truly the best), make a list of projects to complete at Mom's house and still find time to be present and make you feel like he truly wanted to hear all about your life.

Matt and Katy hosted my family countless times over the years. Matt always made sure to connect with me prior to our arrival, not just for our flight details (of course he would be there to get us at any hour) but to plan our meals. He would ask what type of beer, wine, cocktails we fancied. He would ask about our food preferences and caffeine requirements. He would also ask about the music I was listening to and what activities we'd like to enjoy while in town. Needless to say, the Greatest American Hero did not disappoint :) He would have everything ready so he could just be present and enjoy our company. I'd like to remember Matt just like this. Sitting on the deck with a slice of homemade pizza surrounded by family and listening to some good music. He truly was my hero and I am grateful that he and Katy built a beautiful life together. He taught me so much about life by his example and I will always be thankful that he joined the Wiswall Family. 

Dear Family and Friends,

We invite you to share stories and photos of Matt on on this memorial website. The site is fairly easy to navigate. There 4 main tabs:  ABOUT, LIFE, GALLERY, STORIES

ABOUT: Here you will find a note about this memorial page from Katy to Matt. You can also write a tribute note in this section. 
LIFE tab: Here you will find the obituary.
GALLERY: Here you will find 3 tabs (photos, videos and  pictures). We have posted the video from the Zoom funeral (thank you to Anthony Busacca and Tati Bedi), as well as a slide show that we, Katy, Vincent and Bridget, created. You are very welcome to add more to this page. 
STORIES: We welcome you to share stories, memories and thoughts of Matt. 

With much love,
Katy, Vincent and Bridget