Matthew D. Kushner

May 2, 1986 – June 10, 2020

Matthew D. Kushner, who celebrated Buffalo's polka scene and the Polish community in print and on the air, died June 10 in Erie County Medical Center a little more than a month after he was diagnosed with cancer. He was 34.

Known as "Matty K," he was Polka Time columnist for the Am-Pol Eagle and host of the "Polka Jamboree" program on radio station WXRL.

Born in Buffalo, the second of four children, he was a 2004 graduate of Orchard Park High School, where he played varsity basketball, junior varsity baseball, ran cross-country and sang in the chorus and school musicals.

At Medaille College, where he earned a bachelor's degree in media communications in 2009, he was an interviewer for the MavZone, a sports broadcast on Medaille College TV (MCTV). He also hosted "Matty K in the Morning," a sports radio program at Medaille, and was a member of the college's Music and Drama Club.

One of his professors at Medaille helped Mr. Kushner get an internship in 2006 with Buffalo Standard Printing in Cheektowaga, which publishes the Am-Pol Eagle. He became a printing assistant and a feature writer for the newspaper.

In 2013, he took a second job at WXRL as a board operator and was announcer for the station's broadcasts of Lancaster High School football games and other school sporting events. After "Polka Jamboree" host Scott Cleveland died in 2015, Mr. Kushner was asked to fill in. He quickly developed a passion for the music.

"Prior to that, he was kind of hoping to become a sportscaster," his brother, Dan, said. "He really found his voice through polka. He really jumped in with both feet."

He also became Polka Time columnist for the Am-Pol Eagle, writing about musicians and events in the Polish community. He was secretary of the Polka Variety Social Club and a member of the Buffalo Polka Boosters.

He was a winner of the Polish Heritage Festival's pierogi eating contest and was presented with the Community Leadership Award in 2018 at the Buffalo Bisons' Polish Festival Night.

Despite struggling with Crohn's disease for 13 years and other health problems, he maintained a positive outlook, encouraging everyone with his slogan, "Smile More."

Injuries from an auto accident a few years ago limited his ability to fully take part in polka events, but he always tried to attend WBBZ-TV's "Polka Buzz" dances and gave detailed reports on Dyngus Day celebrations for his newspaper column. In 2019, he stopped in at eight of them.

Mr. Kushner was a devoted sports fan and was especially passionate about baseball. He took road trips to visit all the major league stadiums in the region and rooted for the Bisons and their parent teams, the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Mets.

He also was a fantasy football enthusiast and enjoyed TV trivia and attending local theater.

In addition to his brother, survivors include his mother, Karen; and two sisters, Mairé and Susannah.

Funeral services will be private. A public celebration of his life will be held at a later date.