Click Here to View and Download the Memorial for Matthew Pearson

Matthew Grant Pearson passed away on April 21st of 2020. 

Matt was a 21 year old junior in college at the University of Wisconsin studying Actuarial Science. He loved being a part of campus life and the excitement of a large university with so many opportunities. His freshman year he lived in Liz Waters residence hall and made many friends that were very precious to him. The next year these friends moved together to several apartments at the Grand Central building in Madison. They then moved to Bassett Street to a huge old house. The pack had many great adventures together and now have become part of the Pearson family. We call them the Bassett Boys, but this group includes a friend named Kayla too! He worked at the Badger Market and made some dear friends including Rachel.

Matt loved being part of the UW Men's Club Basketball Team and all of the guys. They are more than a team, more like a bunch of brothers. He played with them for two years and loved the practices, the fundraisers, the tournaments, and especially the road trips!! Those trips provided time and space for talking, laughing, listening to music and goofing around in general. It turns out that Matt enjoyed being in charge of the music playlists that included a wide range of styles. A part of Matt's heart lives on as his friends listen to music he curated.

Matt was active with a group on campus called Cru starting his sophomore year. He loved attending bible studies and the fun get togethers. During the summer of 2019 he took part in a mission trip to North Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, working at Dunkin' Donuts while he was there. He made many great friends through that summer experience and we are getting to know many of them now. We love them all.

Matt graduated from Oregon High School in June of 2017. He played basketball and soccer all four years and made many close friends from being on those teams. He was a dedicated and talented athlete who worked extremely hard to improve his skills, never missing a practice or even summer workout session that we can remember. He never complained about the intensity of the workouts or about tough coaching. Instead, he always tried to rise to whatever challenge came up. Matt was also an excellent student, a member of the National Honor Society and earning honors at graduation. He found school very easy and took as many AP classes as he could during his high school days, especially in Math.

We moved to Oregon during the middle of Matt's 7th grade year, so it was a challenge for him to develop friends right away. Thankfully he had sports. We moved from Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, where we had lived for about three years with a job change for Guy. Until we moved to Oregon, Matt always felt that his home was Elgin, Illinois, where he was born and where we lived until he was in 5th grade. The friends that he made there shaped him and our families have stayed in touch all these years. Matt never forgot them. Matt also remembered and cared about his first friends from the Pearson Home Daycare, including Marla and Jordon. They became like siblings to him.

It's very hard to package Matthew in a few words. He was very quiet a lot of the time, and introspective. Yet he could be so funny and often said something unexpected that could lighten a tense or stale situation. He was creative and playful, a bit of a prankster, but always to make someone smile. Matt was talented in many ways, but he was never one to broadcast this or even talk about himself. Matt was a wonderful son to Guy and Mary, a beloved brother to Megan, a grandson, nephew, and cousin to an extended family he loved. Matt was a loyal teammate and friend to so many. His friends have been reaching out to us, Matt's family, and we have learned that he was not only loved by so many, but by so many amazing people. We hope to always stay in touch with you.

We hope that you will leave a memory here, on Matt's Gunderson site, or on his Facebook site. Photos and videos are welcome too! Matt's life ended too soon and we are all hurting that he couldn't find a way to hang on any longer. Please know that we want you to reach out to us and we are not afraid to talk about what happened with Matt. We are very concerned about the rise of depression and suicide, especially due to the pandemic. We want to help end the stigma around mental health issues because they are so widespread. If you are someone who is hurting right now, we want you to know that there is hope and help. Please don't stay silent in your pain. Please reach out. We are here for you if you need a friend.

Guy, Mary, and Megan Pearson