Matthew Mark Matchinsky

Matthew Mark Matchinsky, age 65 of Des Moines, Iowa, passed away peacefully on Saturday, August 30, 2025, at MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center. He died from Advanced Stage 4 Esophageal cancer, 2 months after being diagnosed.

Matthew was born on December 4, 1959, in Holland, Michigan to Dorothy Alice and John Roscoe Matchinsky. Sixth among seven siblings, he is survived by Velma Matchinsky (IA), Janice Tarrant (NC), Michael Matchinsky (MI), Lee Ann Kingery (IA), Steven Matchinsky (IA) and Jerri Matchinsky (ML).

He attended Washington and Longfellow Elementary in Holland, Michigan. They moved to Iowa on April 9, 1971, and he continued education at Des Moines Technical High School, now Central Campus. He later attended classes at Iowa State University with the intention to pursue Astrophysics. In 1982, he studied and worked in Avionics at the Iowa Air National Guard 132nd Tactical Fighter Wing. In all things, Matthew had a deep love for learning. Not as a means to an end, but for its own sake.

At the age of 17, Matthew married his first wife. Their 6-year-marriage blessed them with two daughters, Megan and Nicole. After their divorce, his daughters were legally adopted by their stepfather. Megan and Andrew gave him 3 grandchildren, Brian, Brittney and Lizzie Tunnell. His granddaughter through Nicole Styers is Dani Shobert.

Matthew admired and loved his mother. Despite her disability and the accident that left her husband incapacitated, she was able to take care of 7 children while working. It was her strength, love, and independence that gave him a glimpse of what it means to be a parent. Near the end of his mother’s life, Matthew dedicated his time to taking care of her–visiting her every Sunday, eating with her, and making her feel loved.

"HE LOVED”, these were the exact words Matthew wanted to be inscribed on his marker because he did. After he got separated from his first wife and children, he never thought he would ever love again until he met the love of his life, Maria Gina, in 2012. They met through Digital Photography Plus (dp+), a Facebook group for Filipino photography enthusiasts where Gina was the administrator. A member, in the hopes of impressing Gina, added hundreds of American photography enthusiasts to her group, and Matthew happened to be one of them. Over the course of their interactions, Gina fell in love with Matthew’s kindness and compassion.

When Matthew first visited Gina in the Philippines in 2012, he already brought a wedding ring with him as a sign of his sincere intentions. They lived for 3 months in Las Vegas, Nevada until she got her divorce, and they got their civil wedding on November 12, 2013.

In 2015, Matthew brought two of Gina's minor children from her first marriage, Patricia Joanne and Joseph Benedict, to the US. Shortly after, Gina’s eldest daughter, Katherine Gail's petition was also approved and is awaiting visa.

Soon after Patricia and Joseph got to the US, Matthew adopted all 3 of them and loved them as if they were his own flesh and blood. They all love him tremendously for being the understanding and caring father they never had.

Katherine Gail admires and has a huge respect for the responsible and committed dad that Matthew was. Because of him, she felt assured that her family was loved and cared for. Despite thousands of miles, he was still able to provide her with the love and assurance she needed.

Patricia Joanne felt the love of a doting father, which she never had. Through her, Matthew experienced what it was like to be a father to a teenage daughter and watch her blossom into adulthood. Through her, Matthew experienced for the first time what it was like to give a daughter's hand in marriage. Through her, he experienced for the first time what it was like to hold a baby grandchild in his arms. Patricia and Levi gave him a bundle of joy named Amara Eve Vander Molen.

Joseph Benedict, on the other hand, looked up to him as a role model in his professionalism, work ethic, and integrity. He aspired to be the kind of son his dad would be proud of. Through him, Matthew experienced for the first time, what it was like to raise a child to adulthood. Through him, he felt what it was like to be a proud dad in all his son's undertakings whether it be through his academic excellence, work ethic, and his creative endeavors.

Matthew takes pride in being a self-made man and a provider. In his early 20s, he worked in a company now known as Fiserv. He worked at Fiserv for about 35 years as their Lead Tech Production Control. He was creative in making solutions, loved his job, and was good at it. He always exceeded his boss's expectations. His children saw a role model in him, in his professionalism. Despite working from home, he always woke up early, dressed up, prepared for the day, and worked tirelessly.

Matthew made all his children’s lives better through his boundless love and dedication. They are all forever grateful for his love and will never forget his legacy. Through it all, they know him as the father who loved their mother to the end.

To Gina, his wife, her Papa Bear was a generous, thoughtful, loving, committed and selfless man. He was her pillar of strength, her reprieve, her comfort, her home, her love, and her joy in life. It was through her that Matthew found God and the fullness of truth, his faith–the Catholic faith. Theirs is a love with God in their midst.

For Gina, the best gift you can give a person you love is paving the way for their salvation, and she thanks God that Matthew found Him through her. After attending the Rite of Catholic Initiation for Adults, Matthew, of his own volition, decided to join the Catholic faith.

As Catholics, they were unsatisfied with just a Civil Wedding. In order to marry in the Catholic Church, they both needed to annul their previous marriages, which is an arduous feat. After a long wait, on June 2, 2018, they finally got married in the Catholic Church. For them, it felt like they were given a second chance at life. Matthew and Gina got both their previous marriages annulled and got married at Christ the King Parish, a Catholic Church in Des Moines.

Since then, Catholic faith had become a huge part of Matthew's identity. It was like his thirst for the fullness of truth was finally assuaged. He appointed a book where all the family's dead relatives were listed, and he prayed the Rosary religiously every morning for them and prayed the Rosary again with Gina at night. They both loved going to cemeteries and praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. He loved reading and growing more in his faith. He used to teach Catechism for little kids, an experienced he cherished deeply. He was one of the Lectors at Christ the King, something that his mom used to do. He made beautiful rosaries using semi-precious stones with his wife. Some of the rosaries he made, he left in areas homeless people frequented with a note about praying the rosary and praying for help. Amidst his battle with cancer, he clasped the rosary every night and prayed them to sleep. Towards the end, he saw all the pain and suffering, from battling advanced stage 4 esophageal cancer, as a means to sanctification. He offered them all to God and united it to our Lord Jesus Christ's sufferings in atonement for his sins, those of his loved ones, and for people who needed it most.

An adventurous soul, Matthew loved to travel. With his family, they visited many sites and attractions across 14 states. He loved his hometown and wished to go back to Holland, Michigan, the place he was born one last time before he died. He loved nature, long walks, and long drives. He loved to see all the wonders of the world that God made and capture them through photography.

Every Christmas, he made a tremendous effort to make his family feel loved and celebrated, decorating the house with Christmas trees and lights. Every Thanksgiving, he woke up early in the morning to make his family a proper Thanksgiving meal, complete with a huge Butterball turkey with stuffing made from his own recipe. Every birthday, he made sure we felt loved and appreciated, writing his family letters and giving them gifts to remind them of how much he loved them.

Every 12th day of the month after they got married, Matthew and Gina celebrated their monthsary, a reminder of every milestone of their time together–a celebration of their love. With each monthsary, Matthew never failed to write Gina a poem dedicated to their love and friendship. Rain or shine, he gave her a card with a gift every single time. The last card he gave her was on their 141st monthsary on August 12, 2025. Their 142nd monthsary would have been on September 12, 2025, the day he will be laid to rest.

Throughout all his sufferings and difficulties, he never once blamed God or others. He bore it with as much dignity as he could, fighting until the very end. He loved God in the way he loved his wife and his family so much, and so selflessly, the less fortunate who might be looking for God as well. In the end, he gave his all, and indeed, truly, HE LOVED...

A visitation for Matthew will be held Friday, September 12, 2025 from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM at Christ the King Catholic Church, 5711 SW 9th St, Des Moines, IA 50315. A funeral service will occur Friday, September 12, 2025 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM, 5711 SW 9th St, Des Moines, IA 50315. A graveside service will occur Friday, September 12, 2025 from 11:00 AM to 11:30 AM at McLaren's Resthaven Chapel & Mortuary, 801 19th Street, West Des Moines, IA 50265. A reception will occur Friday, September 12, 2025 from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM at McLaren's Resthaven Chapel & Mortuary, 801 19th Street, West Des Moines, IA 50265.