Recent Tributes

The Tributes are the most recent stories and comments added to the memorial. To add a new story or comment, you may visit the Stories link in the main navigation.

  • 12/23/2011: New Story added: Merry Christmas Matt

    This will be our third Christmas since Matt passed away.  Merry Christmas, we miss you!

  • 12/23/2011: New Story added: Merry Christmas Matt

    This will be our third Christmas since Matt passed away.  Merry Christmas, we miss you!

  • 09/29/2010: New Story added: LoVE in Germany

    A little late on this, but I just stumbled across the site.  Heard about Mat's story when he passed.  I'm glad to say that LoVE made it to the Cologne, Germany show earlier this year.  Was raised tall, dead center on a mic stand of a ...

  • 07/18/2010: New Story added: no words...

    I have been following Matt's story for a while and just wanted to see how it has kept up. I have been to a couple shows this summer so far and am really happy to say that his legacy still lives on. I still see people holding up LoVE signs everytime ...

  • 06/27/2010: New Story added: 2nd Annual LoVE Celebration

    22nd St. and the Strand, Hermosa Beach, CA, 90254 Come down to the beach and enjoy some fun in the sun while we celebrate Matt's life and share his message of LoVE with each other. We'll have volleyball courts set up and all the beach toys you can ...

  • 06/05/2010: New Story added: Thinking of Matt....

    I came back here today to re-read these stories and remember Matt. I have been thinking about him alot this weekend and send LOVE to his friends and family... With lots of LOVE, debbie  

  • 12/21/2009: New Story added: Chakrafest For Charity - Meditation and More

    920 Highland Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA, 90266 Come celebrate the solstice and learn about the chakras at this open, donation-based event. First experience a guided chakra meditation, followed by Q&A, and then visit tables for each chakra and learn ...

  • 09/12/2009: New Story added: Chula Vista

    I never knew Matt but have read much about him over the past few months.  My boyfriend and I have driven from Flagstaff, AZ to see DMB at Chula Vista tonight; our first show at this venue.  I only just realized that this was "Matt's ...

  • 09/04/2009: New Story added: Birthday wishes

     Today is the day I would call Matt to wish him "Happy Birthday", but I will have to do it in my heart, and not over the phone.  Matt would always call me on my birthday, and if you are reading this, I am sure you were on his ...

  • 07/27/2009: New Story added: So sad about the news...

    Matt and I both started our first career out of college together at International Paper in Carson, CA.  He was always such a nice person, ready to lend a helping hand.  Just kind all around.  Someone you see and you know immediately ...

  • 07/24/2009: New Story added: LOVE Sign

    I had just introduced Matt to my daughter in Mid-May; she happened to be visiting from San Francisco.  I remember when I made the introduction he went to shake her hand and she said to him, "I'm a hugger" and went in for the ...

  • 07/18/2009: New Story added: To Uncle Matt: A Gift of Love

    A few days after my Uncle Matt died I wrote this poem for him.  I wanted to share it with everyone here. A Gift of Love for Uncle Matt I give you the gift of love, like the sweet sound of people laughing. I give you the gift of ...

  • 07/15/2009: New Story added: My very good friend,

    The picture below of our hands was taken about a month before Matt's passing.  My dad and his girlfriend, my sister Dawn and her boyfriend, my brother Dan and his girlfriend, my boyfriend and I, our family friends Barron, Mel and our dear ...

  • 07/02/2009: New Story added: Puerto Vallarta

    Matt and I were friends through Matthew and Leda Wright.  Matt came down with a group of us to vacation in Puerto Vallarta, and I'll always remember him as he was there when I proposed to my fiancee, Beatriz.  And he was not the only one ...

  • 06/29/2009: New Story added: My times with Matt

    I first met Matt at one of the Whalen Weekend Volleyball Extravaganzas. Matt introduced himself to me and upon first impression I judged he was a very happy and genuinely nice guy. Matt was someone that everyone was drawn to. He was ...

  • 06/21/2009: New Story added: 1st Annual Day at the Beach with Matt

    2200 The Strand, Hermosa Beach, CA, 90254 Come on down and join family and friends for the 1st Annual Day at the Beach with Matt. We will bring all the beach toys we can and reserve a volleyball court for the group. Bring your own chairs, food, ...

  • 06/20/2009: New Story added: Party for Matt

    22509 Reynolds Dr., Torrance, CA, 90505 Please join us for an afternoon of food and stories as we share about the great times we've had with our friend Matt. Location URL | View Map

  • 06/20/2009: New Story added: Celebration of Matt's Life

    26300 Crenshaw Blvd, Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA, 90274 Gather together with family and friends at the South Coast Botanic Garden to celebrate the life of Matt. Please arrive early so you have time to enjoy the gardens while you walk to the ...

  • 06/19/2009: New Story added: Matt's Point

    Matt was on a profound spiritual journey, in the last few years of his life especially. I had the great privilege of having him in my meditation classes and retreats over the last five years, including several combination hiking/meditation retreats ...

  • 06/19/2009: New Story added: Always

    I must have seen Matt at 10 DMB shows before I even knew his name. He always stood out to me because of the LOVE sign he used to hold. And it wasn't even just that it said LOVE, although it is an awesome message, but it was more the way he held the ...

  • 06/19/2009: New Story added: Black Nova

    I first met Matt through International Paper, but didn’t really get to know him until he came to work at Fleetwood-Fibre Packaging & Graphics. I was his inside CSR in City of Industry, while he was selling boxes in Northern ...

  • 06/17/2009: New Story added: Certificate of Valor

    I had met Matt in Manhattan Beach several times so when he was hired at Warnaco, a swimsuit manufacturing compnay, where I worked I was super excited because i thought, "this will make my days waaaaaaay more interesting". I ...

  • 06/17/2009: New Story added: "Dos"

    In our year together, Matt impacted my life more than I can write. He was an extraordinary person, unlike anyone I have ever met in life. Matt was incredibly insightful and challenged me to think beyond the obvious. He made me a better person by ...

  • 06/17/2009: New Story added: Two Amazing Wadleigh Brothers

    I feel so lucky to have met Matt. For awhile, I have to be honest I did not think he existed. My best friend Julia started dating this really awesome guy who was honest, caring, considerate, fun, and loved music and adored traveling...was this ...

  • 06/16/2009: New Story added: The Loveliest and Finest of Men

    I have only known Matt since he started working for Temple-Inland.  I'm a music hound and listen to music all day, every day in my office while I'm working.  Matt would always stop by to listen and guess who I had playing on my ...

  • 06/16/2009: New Story added: Matt- a moment of joy too short

    I only had the privelege of knowing Matt for 7 months.  Late last year I became his sales manager at Temple Inland.  Matt was the consummate professional who was dedicated to results but more importantly to people. I looked forward each ...

  • 06/15/2009: New Story added: Matt Wadleigh -- A Great Young Man

    I got to know Matt rather well in the summer of '99 when he & my niece, Jade, spent several months in Hilton Head, S.C. to help ease the transition of my Rx company from Florida to Hilton Head.  Matt ran the entire warehouse & Jade ...

  • 06/15/2009: New Story added: Fallen Brother

    I had the privilege of knowing Matt most of my life. There are so many fond memories I have with him and the rest of my close friends.  Stories as far back to when I took the Wadleigh family hamster in when they moved back to CA the first ...

  • 06/15/2009: New Story added: A brief story

    I just wanted to share a brief story of  an expreience that I had with Matt several years ago.  I first got to know Matt when he moved out to the South Bay through a friend of mine, Todd Brooks.  In the summer of 2003 I had ...

  • 06/15/2009: New Story added: Beautiful Person

     It is a gift to all of us when you can see the Beauty of Gods Love through the eyes of another. This was the experience all who knew Matt encountered . He was a beautiful person in mind,body and spirit. We all have benifited in ...

  • 06/14/2009: New Story added: Gentle Matt

    Matt came into our life through Jade and their high school friends when he was boy. We watched him become the man he was with the same wonderful qualities we always admired. Through good times and sad time he remained a "gentle man". Jeff ...

  • 06/13/2009: New Story added: Message Received, Brother

    I knew Matt for a little over a decade.  When I first met Matt, it was likely during a festive college weekend at the University of San Diego--circa 1997-ish (we most definitely were keepin' it real).  Matt was one of ...

  • 06/13/2009: New Story added: From a fellow DMB fan and friend...

    As you may know, Matt was very passionate about the music of the Dave Matthews Band. My fiance' Craig Willoughby and I are both huge DMB fans and are pretty well known in the DMB community. We are both 1998 Warehouse fanclub members, just like ...

  • 06/12/2009: New Story added: One of the "Good Guys"

    Very few people can truly say that everyone liked them, Matt could. I had the real honor of being around Matt for many year both as friends and workmates. Matt made being his friend easy, its just that simple. As a workmate Matt was not an ...

  • 06/12/2009: New Story added: Laughter and good times!

    Matt always made me laugh! I can just hear him laughing right now. Todd and I met Matt about 8 years ago and a strong friendship developed. Matt was such an extraordinary person. We called him “smarty pants” because he ...

  • 06/12/2009: New Story added: I miss you buddy

    Matt was simply an amazing person that loved everything about life and went out of his way for everyone.  I loved getting phone calls when he was on his way home from work listening to a hot show that he just had to tell me about.  ...