Matthew Arco

Matthew Aaron Arco

January 16, 1986 - April 30, 2025

Matthew Aaron Arco, adored son, husband, brother, cousin, uncle, and friend, passed away suddenly of natural causes on April 30, 2025, at the age of 39. Matt was born on January 16, 1986 and was raised in Rockland County, NY. After graduating from the State University of New York, Albany in 2009 with a degree in journalism, Matt spent time working at the Legislative Gazette in Albany, the Roswell Daily Record in New Mexico, and the Portland Daily Sun in Maine.

In 2012, Matt, a gifted journalist, moved to Princeton, NJ and began covering New Jersey politics as a reporter at PolitickerNJ. He joined NJ Advance Media - the company that provides content to NJ.com and the Star Ledger - in 2014, where he spent more than a decade providing award-winning coverage of the state's governors and legislature. His accomplished career is beautifully chronicled in articles published to NJ.com shortly after his passing by his long-time colleagues and friends.

Princeton is also where Matt met his husband, Michael Karam, his life partner for more than a decade. In 2023 the couple moved to Lambertville, NJ and married on February 22, 2025. A true yin and yang relationship, Matt's warmth and effervescence complemented Mike's sure and steady nature. They were planning their move to Elmore, VT in May, where they've spent cherished time with friends and family over the years, enjoying skiing, hiking, time by the fire, and the respite of the green mountains.

Matt maintained lifelong relationships across decades and distance, never losing sight of what mattered most: the family you are given and the family you create in this world. He quickly became a treasured member of the Karam family, particularly with his in-laws and his nine nieces and nephews -the quintessential fun uncle. Conversations with Matt were never small talk; they were deep dives. Whether over a glass of wine or the phone, he maintained friendships as if no time or distance stood between them. He deeply valued those relationships and conversations, giving and receiving guidance with no judgement and complete empathy, and always with at least one signature Arco laugh, boisterous and contagious.

While primarily a print journalist, Matt had "a face made for TV." Devilishly handsome while self-effacing, he had a charm that pulled you into his orbit and made you want to stay there forever. He had an insatiable appetite for history, politics, and current events. Whether through newspapers, podcasts, or impassioned discussions, he absorbed the world around him and reflected it back with humor and a journalist's sharp eye.

Matt had a razor-sharp wit and intellect, and he relished (and often spurred!) a good time with friends and family, bringing love and laughter to every occasion - ideally with a glass of champagne in hand and maybe a plate of chicken parm or Indian takeout.

In his spare time, Matt was a volunteer for the Lambertville-New Hope Ambulance & Rescue Squad, member of the Lambertville Historical Society, and LGBTQ+ advocate.

Matt was preceded in death by his father, Guy Arco, and mother, Mary Ann Arco (Hearn). He was a self-proclaimed and unabashed mama's boy, which only fiercened after his father's death. Matt was there to care for his parents and hold both their hands when they passed, which matured him, but never hardened him.

He is survived by his loving husband, Michael; brother, Christopher Arco; half-sister, Tara Van Der Hay and husband Harry; cousins, Howard Reid Jr. and wife Jennifer, Bill Reid and wife Tracey, Bob Reid and wife Chris, Theresa, Rita, Christian, Christopher, Patrick, and Ed Hearn; uncles, Ed Hearn and wife Porfiria, Joe Hearn and wife Sharon, Lee Arco and wife Janet; father and mother-in-law, Richard and Marlene Karam; brothers-in-law, Richard Karam and wife Kati, Joseph Karam and wife Emily; sister-in-law, Khira Karam and husband Aaron Young; his "adoptive" family, John and Rita Hartley, Caroline Hartley and husband Dave Becker, and best friend Victoria Hartley; and his beloved nieces and nephews, Kingston, Edhen, Jackson, Aiden, Quentin, Mila, Madox, Esme, and Eliot. Matt leaves behind many dear friends and colleagues.

Services are under the direction of Van Horn-McDonough Funeral Home, Lambertville, NJ. Visitation will be held on May 8, 2025 at 21 York Street, Lambertville, NJ 08530 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Matt's name to the Lambertville-New Hope Ambulance & Rescue Squad, Lambertville, NJ.

The world is a fine place

and worth fighting for

and I hate very much to leave it.

- Hemingway, "For who the Bell Tolls"