For the first time I can remember I perused the Obituary section of Harvard Magazine and saw Matt listed. My first reaction was "Please not THAT Matt Huntington." I remember Matt from Milton and less so Harvard. Even today---decades later---I remember Matt as one of the kindest, sincere, loyal and most "comfortable in his own skin" people ever. And the smile...always the smile. Thanks Matt and R.I.P.

I am so saddened to hear this news, and sorry to say I hadn't seen Matthew but a few times since our younger days in Maine.   From the remembrances of his friends, it sounds like Matthew was quite a guy.  I surely don't doubt it.  Unfair and too young.  Way too young. All the Brengles send condolences to the Huntington family. Our deepest sympathies.

Listening to stories about Matt yesterday was uplifting.  He always came top of mind for his wry humor, fantastic impersonations and witty repartee.  As my grandmother would say, Matt was a hoot

Listening to the stories of Matt’s life and the deep love of his family and friends made we want to be a better father, husband, son, brother, uncle, nephew and cousin. Not for what I may receive, but like Matt, for what i May be able to give. 

All of our friends are very very nice people, but the word that everyone used to describe Matt was kind. Kind is so much more than nice. Kindness takes intent and purpose. Kindness is proactive and requires a completely different level of commitment and conscientiousness. It’s wanting to make a difference in someone else’s life.  To be there for them, to be focused on them, to let them know they are being seen, heard, appreciated and cared for.  It takes time and willingness to get out of ones own world and put oneself in someone else’s. That’s a very very rare trait in today’s world, and certainly I can say in mine. There is no question in my mind that Matt was the kindess  man I know.  I think “nice” has become a throw away word to describe a person, but not kindness. Kindness is a notation earned through true caring, empathy and selflessness.  It’s terrible that it can take losing someone to recognize all that they bring to your life and the life of those around them.  Thank you Matt for being such a wonderful friend, character and man. And thank you for making me think about my own life and remind what it means to be kind.  I will think of you often in the silences of conversations when someone doesn’t Include a comical interjection and I hope to pause at moments to look for the opportunity to be a better man and to be kind as you would and did throughout your life. You will be missed but always be with us. 

I have always liked and appreciated Matt for his kind, easy going and welcoming spirit.  One of the pioneers of the shift to electric vehicles, Matt deserves thanks as we enjoy quiet, energy-friendly bikes, scooters and Teslas about town. Our current and future generations can navigate in more positive and peaceful ways, thanks to Matt's legacy. With love and thanks to Matt, his dear son and wife, and all of his family and friends, -L. Julian Keniry


I was sorry to hear of Matt’s passing.  He was so brilliant, so kind, tough but fair. One of the few I’ve met who could, but never, wore his  academic pedegree on his sleeve.  We tried our first case against one another. He for the state, me for the poor defendant. It was a DUI case. The defense was necessity. Because a dog had been driving  and my client took the wheel. No kidding. That was an undisputed fact.  Anyway, I came in second and Matt sought leniency for my client in sentencing.  I’ll never forget Matt’s decency thoughtfulness and incredible wit. I still carry the huge litigation bag he nicknamed “the wardrobe.”  I think now I’ll always keep it.  Godspeed.

So sweet and kind.  Matt was always so welcoming and if ever he saw me sitting alone at the table in the Adam’s House dining hall, he would make sure to sit and and engage in the most wonderful conversations. He would tell me about his waking up at 4:00 in the morning to row crew and I would tell him how I’d stay up all night editing a film or working on a painting.  Our two worlds collided in that dining hall and I will never forget how  Matt was so open, kind and nonjudgemental.  I am truly saddened by this news.

Jo Goldberger,
 Harvard Class of ‘87

I lived with Matt for four years at Milton Academy together with a small group of boys. We grew up together from age 14 to 18. These were some of the most formative years of my life. Matt is our brother. Matt is beautiful, memorable, gifted, brilliant, spontaneous, hilarious, and much beloved. I hope his family understand what an incredible force, friend, and leader he was to so many kids in high school. I am without a doubt a better person for having spent these years with Matt. I am deeply saddened to learn of his passing and deeply grateful that I know him.

Our small Hallowellian class at Milton was a brotherhood to which any college fraternity might only aspire. We grew up a lot, together. Right from the start, Matt was there with a smile and a cleverly goofy remark. There were childish squabbles. I don’t think he was ever in one. He grew tall so quickly – I would tease him about hearing a late-night “bang!” as his head hit the wall during an overnight growth spurt. He would laugh. Always a peaceful refuge. I am so sorry that he is gone.

He was one of the friendliest, funniest guys I knew at Milton, from Day 1 in Hallowell House...four years later, elected by fellow seniors, he gave a graduation speech that had us all laughing and cheering. He is dearly missed.

After graduation from Harvard in 1987, the seniors on the rowing team were blessed with  an all expenses paid trip to the south of France for an exhibition “race” against Yale, Oxford and Cambridge, for the amusement of some minor royals. After it was all over, Matt, Claude Sirlin, Dave Steinberg and I stayed on for a little travel along the Cote Azure. We rented a tiny Seát 500, and we resembled a clown car whenever we emerged from its cramped interior. First stop: Monaco's fabled casino. 

Matt told us he was optimistic about roulette. He explained that he’s descended from the Earls of Hundingdon (sic). The ancient family had fallen on hard times. Crushed with debts, the 7th Earl liquidated everything, then sailed to Monaco, planning on carousing till it was all gone, followed by a suicide without too much mess.

His plans were altered on the first night, when he had an unbelievable run of luck at roulette. He broke the bank, reestablished the Hundingdon fortune, returned to England, invested wisely and never set foot in a casino again. 

Eventually, however, the house won. The 8th Earl thought luck ran in the family. He went to Monaco upon inheriting, and ended up giving it all back. The family holdings destroyed, he eventually sailed to America with what remained.

Matt figured the time had come for the pendulum to swing back. He lost $100.

I retold the tale of the Hundingdons many times over the years. Particularly when visiting a casino. At the Harvard 25th Reunion I thanked Matt for sharing the tale with me all those years ago.

“Sharing what?”

“The story about your ancestor, the 7th Earl of Hundingon who restored the family fortune in Monaco and never set foot in a casino again, and his son the 8th Earl who gave it all back.”

“Nope. I must've I made that up. Sounds good though.”

I was flabbergasted. He made up that story on the spot, 25 years earlier in Monaco, and I retold it a hundred times to satisfied listeners. 

What a talent!

Matt Huntington was a shining light of kindness, humor and wisdom at Milton.  truly, i admired and loved him.  he was a cool kid from a cool background who approached everyone with compassion and friendship
he and i did our senior year thesis together (a two man show of  Alby),  and working with him was a spectacular and fun experience.   he was always laughing and always could cheer me up, with his wicked humor.
in our scattered and few interactions since high school i had a great time catching up with matty..and i was always so happy to hear his news.
he will be missed.
with love,  Karl

Matt and I lived in the same high school dorm for four years. In those days he was affectionately known as "Honeybosh" and "MH," among other aliases. When we were teenage reprobates the aspects of Matt's personality that resonated with me were his wit, his capacity for laughter, his creative sound effects and his visceral feeling for words, particularly strange or goofy ones. He'd take words like rotund and oleaginous and pop them into sentences in ways that made them sound preposterous, interesting, off putting, and memorable. Tall and gangly he had something of the Gumby about him. All in all, Matt could be and often was a comedic presence,  whether we were sharing road-kill venison kebabs at a David Britton cookout or recounting a study hall "goober raid." For some reason my most vivid memory of Matt from high school  took place at a school camping event. I remember seeing him hanging out with some classmates and he was riffing on Gary Numan's song Cars. He was  impersonating Gary Numan's voice yet improvising the words, singing "Here in my tent, Council of Trent..." He must've been studying early European history at the time. It was a hilarious and surreal version, worthy of Weird Al. 

AVIS DE DÉCÈS

Matthew Hallowell Huntington

4 décembre 1963 – 27 mai 2019

Marshall-Donnelly-Combs Funeral Home

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