Matthew Shinnick Obituary

Mat, I only knew you for a short time, but the friendship that we had from meeting in London will always be remembered. You always were a bright light and we had so many fantastic laughs in London and San Francisco and I am deeply saddened by the loss of you. My thoughts are with your family, and the world has truly lost a bright, bright light. Love to you always, Kimmy Jimmy.

Matt, I will remember you forever. You dazzled me with your smile and melted my heart with your gentleness. Though the time we knew each other was quite brief, you made a lasting impression. In lasting peace,

Mat,
We met during the intermission of the musical "Zorba" at the Golden Gate Theater in SF... and that meeting changed my life and made me a better, more fully human person for having met you and known you.
As the song in "Zorba" said:
"Life is what you do,
'Til the moment you die,
Life is how the time goes by..."

What more is there to say than that?
You have made the time going by so much better. I thank you and I miss you and I know that I will take moments with you from the past as I go forward.

Matthew always filled my days with laughter and joy. Thank you for being a source of happiness in the worst year of my life.

Matthew,

"Good morning, Sunshine!"... Those were some of the last words that you wrote to me just a few weeks ago. It is with a heavy heart that I now say to you, Rest in Peace, Sunshine.

Some may think you and I to be an odd pair to become friends... but working together day in and day out at Fat Cat Farm made us the best of friends. Not a day went by that we did not end up in tears because we laughed so hard together! I wish very much that we could have just one more day like that.

Matthew didn't even have to meet people in person to make them smile. I regularly communicated with him online, and it is just like losing a friend I saw every day.

Darling Matt, may you find eternal peace and happiness. You will be missed and time spent with you will be treasured. My heartfelt condolences to all who knew, loved and cherished your spirit. Peace and love to Matthew's family.

My sympathy and prayers go out to his family. Matthew will be greatly missed. He touched so many people. He always put a smile on my face. He was amazing!

Your laughing and cutting up were truly gifts. I regret not getting to know you as well as my partner Barry did. He would speak often of going to dinner or going out with you, and he always enjoyed the company. Thank you for your friendship to me and to Barry. You will not be forgotten. Rest in peace.

Rest in Peace Friend.

I cannot begin to express my sympathy for your loss. Matthew and I met after I moved to Charlottesville to manage the Belk store there. We instantly connected with our retail backgrounds and became great friends. Matthew was kind, loyal and always good for laughs. I very much appreciated his friendship. I am terribly sad for his loss. Please know he touched many lives. My deepest sympathy.