Matt was a US Navy veteran who served in the Gulf War. While he was in the Navy, Matt attended the US Navy Nuclear Power School and was the recipient of the National Defense Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, and Marksmanship Awards for the .45 caliber pistol and M-14 rifle. After his time in the Navy, Matt was employed by Motorola/Freescale/NXP for almost 25 years, and then at Samsung for nearly three years. Matt was a quiet soul who enjoyed role-playing games, movies, music, and cooking for himself and for others. He was an excellent cook and making food for others was one of his greatest joys. He liked to play chess and particularly enjoyed teaching the game to his nephew, Toby. He also enjoyed playing darts and was active in the Austin Dart Association for several years in the 1990s.
Matt was born in Washington, D.C. and lived in Virginia until his native-Austinite family returned home when he was 11 years old. He graduated from Austin High, where he played trumpet in the marching band. He later attended UT Austin. Matt was active in martial arts beginning at the age of 15, earning black belts in both Taekwondo and Hapkido. Matt loved the beach and the ocean. He was a strong swimmer and former lifeguard who enjoyed teaching infant swim classes with longtime family friend Rosie Slacks. Matt had a lifelong love of animals and loved his own pets dearly.
He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Catherine Cook; his mother, April Boardman; father, Rowland Cook and stepmother, Diane Ireson; sister, Samantha Cook and her wife, Evie Borthwick; brother, Josh Cook and his wife, Diana; sister, Abby Cook Whitworth and her husband, Sam; stepbrother, Eric Perlmutter; stepsister, Lindsay Fitzpatrick and her husband, Fritz; mother- and father-in-law, Carolynn and Dale Elmshaeuser; brother-in-law, Paul Elmshaeuser and his wife, Kristen; brother-in-law, Tim Elmshaeuser and his wife, Kimberly; nieces and nephews Ashleigh Elmshaeuser, Jakob Elmshaeuser, Scott Elmshaeuser, Bridget Elmshaeuser, Toby Whitworth, Zach Whitworth, Jessica Cook, Emma Perlmutter, Joe Whitworth, Adam Perlmutter, Betsy Fitzpatrick, and Teddy Fitzpatrick; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. He is also survived by his three beloved cats: Millie, Quinn, and Catniss.
Matt was preceded in death by his brother-in-law, Steve Elmshaeuser and his stepfather, Ernest Boardman. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Hospice Austin, 4017 Spicewood Springs Road, Suite 100, Austin, TX 78759, www.hospiceaustin.org, or to the Austin Humane Society, 124 W Anderson Lane, Austin, TX 78752, www.austinhumanesociety.org.
A memorial reception will be held on September 29, 2019 in the Fellowship Hall at University United Methodist Church, 2409 Guadalupe Street, Austin, TX 78705, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM.
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