The Passing of a Great Person in Our Family

Last night John got a call that his Uncle Matt passed away at the age of 94. Uncle Matt was a patent attorney for US Steel for many years in Pittsburgh, PA and when he retired he moved to Hilton Head, SC. He lived there for over 30 yrs. and then the last few years of his life he moved to Columbia, MD to an assisted living facility to be closer to some family members.

I remember meeting Uncle Matt 33 years ago at dinner at John's Mom and Dad's house. He loved life! Right away he gave me a big hug, told me how pretty I was and then turning to John and said hold on to this one don't let her get away! He then turned and winked at me! He always called me Doll or Babe, but not in an offense way. It was just Uncle Matt's way. He was also a very sharp dresser. His clothes were always the latest fashion and he always looked "dashing". Uncle Matt was a very religious man, he always went to Mass every Sunday and other holy days. He helped out at his local parish as much as he could.

My girls loved Uncle Matt! He would always include them in every social outing he was planning. We visited him many times when he lived on Hilton Head. Jenny especially remembers the McDermitt Family Reunion on Hilton Head when she brought her then boyfriend, Darius. Uncle Matt took Darius aside and told him what a great "gal" Jenny was and that he better treat her like a lady and respect her to the fullest!! That was just the kind of guy he was.

The last few years had been very hard for Uncle Matt. He had major heart surgery. Then he had to have a defribulator pacemaker put in. He seemed to be recoverying from that but he was exceptionally tired all the time. He was then diagnosed with Parkinson's. John called him around Thanksgiving and he really could only talk for about 8 minutes and he told John he was too tired and must go. We really knew this was a sign that Uncle Matt wouldn't be with us too much longer.

Uncle Matt you will be immensely missed! Love you!!