Matthew Charles Benedict
“For the Republic”
December 1999 – January 2024
Nicknames given to him by family and friends:
Scooter, Scooter man, Hurley, Break Check Benedict, Fish Slayer
Born in Leominster, MA, to Bradford and Susan Benedict. Younger brother to Jason and Christopher Benedict.
At a very young age, Matthew became fascinated with science and relentlessly watched countless episodes of ‘Bill Nye the Science Guy. " His enthusiasm for science quickly turned into a passion for technology and space. When he was around 10 years old, he informed us that he was going to live on Mars someday. In his early teens, Matthew wrote an email to Elon Musk letting him know of his admiration for him and sharing his zealousness for technology and space. He also informed Musk of his aspiration to one day work for him; no reply, obviously, but that didn’t stop Matthew from holding on to that life goal.
Matthew graduated from Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems and a minor in Business Management. He had recently begun a master’s program in Cyber Security at Syracuse University.
Matthew’s family and friends remember him as one of the most enthusiastic, creative, intelligent, goofy, aspirational, passionate and out-of-the-box thinkers they have known. His creativity, ideas, and passion towards everything he worked on has left a lasting inspiration. Conversations (and lively debates) with his family and friends spanned the gamut on everything, including physics, space, technology, building robots, spaceships, politics, and video games.
Matthew was a fervent hockey player with an interest in 3D printing and was in the process of creating his own 3D printing start-up business with his college friends. He had a love for all things Star Wars, root beer, and unique music genres. He discovered the banjo and taught himself to play. At some point along the way, Matthew became obsessed with sea shanties. It was so unusual for someone of Matthew’s age, but he loved them! He created robust playlists and introduced this music to his friends and family, who now regularly listen to that genre.
Matthew was an avid student of technology, cyber security, robots, and the future. As such, he was a “go to“ for advice on many topics: everything from surviving a world catastrophe, buying cryptocurrency or precious metals, rare currency collecting, and stock tips like NVIDIA (for which the stock price went through the roof after his advice, and many people benefited from that tip!).
He was also one of the funniest people his friends and family knew. When he walked into a room, he would make you smile and laugh, sometimes at the most unexpected times. Mathew, of course, was an avid photobomber! Friends recount Matthew being one of the most charismatic people they knew, always knowing the perfect wild/crazy thing to say to make them laugh when they needed it the most. Memories of him referring to arugula as ‘lawn clippings” or the time he bought a Gilly suit, camouflaging himself and surprising people arriving at a family BBQ, will always make us smile.
His cat Cosmos was his loyal sidekick, and as our pets reflect who we are as people, Cosmos is incredibly friendly, gentle, and loving, because Matthew was that way to him and all who he encountered.
Matthew was not only passionate about his own interests but also encouraged others to follow their passions. Matthew’s friends recount how he would encourage them to pursue their interests and be the best they can be. They also recollect how Matthew would always ask others how their day was and how much he was interested in a genuine response from them. Matthew’s friends cherish how he influenced them in so many ways, including showing kindness to strangers (when Matthew bought food at college, he would regularly buy extra, and give it to someone less fortunate on the streets of Boston).
Matthew’s time on Earth was so short, but in that short time he made a difference by giving his family, friends, and strangers so much to admire, remember, and aspire to. We now look to the stars and within our hearts, where we will always find him.
