Matthew Stuart Jaffe

Matthew was born on October 9th, 1961 in Philadelphia, PA. He resided in Huntingdon Valley

for much of his life, where he was a graduate of Lower Moreland High School in 1979.

Matthew was predeceased by his parents, Marvin Eugene Jaffe, and Joan (Fineman) Jaffe.

He is survived by his wife of 34 years, Ruth Ann (Adison) Jaffe, his children, Seth, Linnea, and

Rachel Jaffe, his siblings, Jonathan Jaffe (Brenda Jaffe), Ondria Jaffe Wasem, Joshua Jaffe

(Suzy Lahey), and his many nieces and nephews. He will be missed dearly by all of his family

and friends.

Matthew attended Cornell University, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in Architecture in

1984. Early in his career, he worked for many firms, and eventually started his own practice. He

specialized in designing schools and houses of worship. He continued his practice until shortly

before his untimely passing. Matt was a member of AIA and MENSA throughout his professional

career. He volunteered as a mentor for Strive for College, helping underprivileged young adults

with their university applications.

As a student, he toured Europe, which fed his passion for architecture, fine art, photography,

and travel. This enthusiasm never left him. Matt found a lot of joy in planning trips with his

family, taking them abroad and showing them the beauty the world had to offer. He would

always make an effort to include both educational and recreational elements in the experience,

hoping that his passions would be passed on to his children.

Matt had an appreciation for music, and attended many concerts and music festivals with his

wife and children. He spent many hours listening to and collecting albums, and often made mix

CDs for his friends and family on special occasions.

Matt’s natural inclination for collecting as a child developed into a serious wine collection after

taking a class about wine at Cornell. Although he enjoyed the research and tasting that went

into selecting each wine, he also loved the idea that each bottle had meaning and an element of

celebration behind it. He would often select bottles in which specific years had special meanings

behind them, such as his wedding anniversary, or one of his children’s birth years. He wanted to

open them during times of celebration, and share them with the people he loved.

Matt will be tremendously missed by his wife, children, family, and friends. There will be a

private celebration of his life held in his home in October; date to be determined. In lieu of

flowers, charitable donations can be made in honor of Matt, to your favorite charity.