Dear Tim & Nick, 

I am so sorry to hear about the loss of both Jan and Matt. I deeply, deeply regret that I let myself lose touch with Matt over the years. He was such an important part of my life, particularly from grade school through college. When I stopped coming home to IL during Christmas time was a big contributor to us losing touch. 

I'd like to share some of my favorite memories with Matt. Sharing all of them would be impossible, as there were Summers when we would hang out together almost every single day. Matt was always down to do any new activity or game. 

When we were little, I remember he came over and we played with construction trucks in the sand pile where the pool in our backyard was going to be built. This is one of my earliest memories of playing with Matt. 

One of our favorite past times as kids was to watch the Transformers movie and then have epic battles with the toys! We even made up elaborate rules and statistics for each of the characters. Matt was happiest when the battles were tough and realistic, he didn't want any easy walks in the park haha. We would play with Pirate Legos and Space Legos. We'd watch the X-Men cartoon and play with those toys too. 

As we grew up a bit more, we shifted more to playing games together. We'd often play Magic The Gathering, with each other, with Nick, and of course with our myriad of other neighbors and friends, like Kent, Chris, my buddy Tony, etc. I remember being so jealous one Christmas when Matt got a Mox Emerald and Nick got a Black Lotus. It was always fun to play against Matt's green and red deck. So many memories of playing late night cards on our porch and on the Keating porch. I think Matt tended to keep a better sleep schedule than most of us, so sometimes he'd be falling asleep at the table toward the end of our games, like when he said nonsensical things like "The Ragnox walks at midnight." Unlike several of us, Matt was never a bad sport either.

This tore at my heart seeing this. Having always felt like an outsider myself I have memories of talking to Tim and always felt like we understood eachother. He was very sweet but quiet. His memory will live on with all who knew him. Sending my prayers and love to his family and friends.

Tim, so sorry to hear of your loss. Didn’t know your son  but want you to know the old Soccer Referees of Rockford send condolences and are thinking of you in this sad time.
Mike Love

Dear Tim and Jan, I am so heart broken for you both.  Your honesty about Matthew's illness is so admirable.  May you find peace and comfort in the coming days and in knowing that he no longer suffers from such an unforgiving illness.  My deepest sympathies to you and all who loved your son.

Dear Keating Family,

I am sorry for your loss of such a wonderful son and brother.  I never had the pleasure of knowing Matthew, but the obituary shows that he  was a good person.  Thank you for the honest discussion of his depression and alcoholism, which also have impacted my extended family.  I am sure your honesty will encourage other families to seek help for their family members experiencing similar problems.

Jack in San Francisco

I'm so sorry for your loss.  Prayers for you as you grieve.

Tim and Janet,

I’m so sorry to hear about Matt.  I lost touch with him over the years and wish I had remained in contact. He was one of the few middle schoolers who made the transition from Eisenhower to Auburn, so we were quick friends freshman year.  Soon after, Matt (he was always “Keats” to us), Jason Fong, Bill Yee and I bonded over ping pong at Jason’s house.  We also spent countless hours in your basement watching movies, listening to music and drinking RC Cola, a staple at the Keatings’.  

Matt was a non-conformist of the best kind.  He wasn’t a jock, or a nerd, or theatre kid.  He was uniquely and genuinely himself, something I greatly admired, and also something that’s hard to do at any age, let alone as a young adult.  And he was hilarious.  Of the four of us, no one could generate as many laughs as Matt.  There was his physical humor — though he didn’t take ping pong as seriously as the rest of us, he played with unmatched enthusiasm, complete with 360 spins and live action sound effects.  But it was also his unique and honest perspective on life and the world, which somehow combined truths that are hard to see — or sometimes we don’t want to see — with an acerbic wit that often cut to the heart of the matter.  Conversations with Matt always took interesting and unexpected turns, which was a big reason why the four of us spent so much time together.  

Please know that Matt was an incredibly important part of my young adult life, and I will always think fondly of him. My heart goes out to your family.

Mason DeLang

Thinking of you during this time of great sorrow. We too have lost family and friends from the evil grip of depression.. may Matthew now live in eternal peace.

OBITUARY

Matthew John Keating

February 22, 1985 – November 21, 2024

Drake & Son Funeral Home

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