Kathy, no matter how long it's been I'm sure every birthday is well remembered.
Thinking of you today.
Bonnie

Matt, you are such a light in my darkest of times. You are my vegetarian yoga buddy, who sings to me when I feel bummed out. You made up a song about how I guessed the jellybeans. We do crosswords in pen. When we hang out, everyone smokes cigarettes but us, and it's kind of a badge of honor to be like "nope!"(... except that one time when you did and I gave you dirty looks and nagged you a little bit. You actually apologized.) 
You always look out for your friends, putting yourself in front of any danger. You are so courageous.
You are my soul brother, for so many reasons. You listen, you care you talk, you share. I will love you forever.
I miss you so much, come see me in my dreams and sing me a song.

Kathy, there are no words i can say to heal your heartache or end your sorrow. You are in my thoughts and prayers! I only worked with Matt a short time but I know he was a kind soul and a great guy.

Matt, Remember when you lived on Gaywood Rd and Jeannie, the hard of hearing senior citizen lived in the basement? Your mom used to flick the lights when she wanted to talk to her and she would come to the bottom of the steps and read your mom’s lips. So naturally we would flick the lights and run away. She would stand at the bottom of the steps yelling “Meeyathew!” We would be just out of sight cracking up. One year your mom went out for New Year’s Eve and she asked Jeannie to “watch” you, me, and Dave. “Gangsta’s Paradise” was all the rage that year, so it must have been ‘95/‘96. We wanted to celebrate the new year but we didn’t have any fireworks so we decided to light a fire with pretty much every flammable object in the house, including a can of WD40. Which created a massive explosion, followed by an out of control oil fire, that scared the shit out of us. Your genius idea was to grab an orange plastic snow shovel, and attempt to beat the fire out which only succeeded in spreading it and catching the shovel on fire. We eventually managed to extinguish the flames with a pitcher of “poop juice”, a delightful blend of Sunny D and Diet Coke. We were grounded for months after that. I’m not sure how your mom figured it out. Must have been the black scorch marks all over the front of the house.

‎Donna Michelle Suess Tarantino‎ to Kathy Townsend
January 20 at 10:52 AM ·
The meaning is simple, the damage of a child's death is so dark and severe that a parent cannot see the full picture because of the tragedy. It may take a lifetime to understand that within that dark and ugly place there was a beauty and love there so strong that not even death could dishevel it ….that in fact, the beauty is that love continues even after and through death and the impact of that trauma brings us closer to the love that we shared for that person and all the ways love of that individual has affected our lives and the lives of others. The secondary beauty that has an everlasting ripple effect on other peoples lives and through eternity is what living is truly about. All about the quality and not so much the quantity. Life is a teacher and Love is the reward in all its forms. When we can see love where darkness used to reside we can finally turn our lives and those around us into something glorious.

Corey Fick posted on Facebook
It is with an unbelievably heavy heart that Matthew Townsend Lost his long quiet battle with Polycystic kidney disease, Matt had been fighting this for many years but what was unknown to all of us was the toll the spikes in his blood pressure were taking on his heart. Yesterday at around 8 o’clock while at his apartment with his mom by his side his heart couldn’t fight anymore. Please keep Kathy Townsend in your prayers as no mother should ever have to go through this type of pain also just reach out and tell someone you love them as Matt would often do to me and everyone who knew him and actually people he didn’t even know. Plans for a celebration of life are in the works will keep you posted.

John Geilfuss
8 hrs ·
Matthew Townsend,
Over the past week, I’ve spent hours swapping your stories with Michael Fick over the phone. We’ve laughed, we’ve cried, we’ve cursed and we will probably do a lot more of the same over the next few days, weeks, and months. Whenever one story is shared, another one is remembered, and I could tell a million more, but, I’ll save most of those for your Celebration of Life on February 2nd. Today, I only want to share one. You once asked me if I was willing to make a bet with you and you promised me I’d like the bet. You told me that by the time you are 40, you’d be a millionaire. If you were, you’d give me $10,000. If you weren’t, you’d take me on vacation. I asked about my end of the bargain and this was your answer, “Shake my damn hand, look me in the eye, tell me you love me, and still be friends with me at 40.” That bet speaks to the selfless man you were. You lived life to the fullest and your positive energy inspired many. You’d give your last dollar to a homeless man who needed it more. You were a man with vibrancy and knowledge and you shared that vibrancy and knowledge with everyone you ever met. A few minutes later you added, “Geilfuss, even if we aren’t friends at 40, I’ll still give you the $10,000, you stupid son-of-a bitch.” We don’t quite know what would have happened with that bet, but somehow, I think you would have found a way to make a million dollars. Maybe you would have had your big break with Matthew Grube and the boys at Diamond Canopy. Maybe you would sold real estate with Kathy Townsend or won the lotto. We don’t know what would has happened, but I do know two things. We still would have been friends at 40 and even if you only had $100 to your name, you would put that $100 towards food and gas and driven me to the beach. You would have found us a free place to stay and you would have found a bartender to pour us free drinks all night long. We would have told stories, sang songs, and danced the night away. Rest In Peace, Matty Boy, you will be missed but you will not be forgotten.

Kathy, there are no words.  My heart aches for you. You loved him so much.  Wish I were across the street again.  Hope to see you Saturday.

It has been said that the lights that burn the brightest and the hottest are the first to go out. Anyone who knew Matt saw that white-hot flame in him. Despite his health issues, which he never dwelt upon and seldom even spoke of, I never remembered him as anything but positive and upbeat, someone whose frenetic zeal revealed a person you just naturally gravitated toward. He was enthusiastic about everything, always engaging and nearly never at a loss for words. He was naturally funny, and onstage he was absolutely fearless (most of the time offstage, too). The man truly had kaboodles of charisma and charm.
He was actually quite brilliant but never beat anyone over the head with his intellect, in fact he could play the buffoon if the situation demanded (emphasis on the word “play”). Blessed with the ability to read people like a book (it must’ve skipped a generation) he could make anyone like him, or at least talk to him. It was a gift.
Case in point: Once, on his way to a family event in Westminster he was running late, and was pulled over by a State Trooper doing 95 mph on I-795. He had to sit for a while but ended up with a warning. A warning!! Like I said, it was a gift.
Normally he didn’t use that talent in any self-aggrandizing way; rather he regularly used it as a tool to put people at ease and to lift others up.
In a lot of ways Matt was wise beyond his years. I think he may have been born in the wrong decade, because he had a perennial “hippie” style attitude of peace and love in all things, but without the great unwashed attributes. He could appear to be flighty, but in truth he was simply filled with wonder and inquisitive about anything and everything, and had that enviable ability to absorb and retain all sensory input like a sponge.
If you knew Matt, count yourself lucky. Sadly, I missed out on a great portion of his life, and was tickled to have reconnected with him several years ago. Even more so by having the pride and pleasure of performing with him on several occasions.
I count another bright star in heaven, son.

Kathy-
We are so sorry for your loss. I can still remember meeting Matthew for the first time as an infant. He was always will be remembered as a ball of energy and positive vibes! We ache for you everyday!
Joe, Sarahjeanne, Phoebe and Lucas

Kathy, I’m so sorry this happened.