Matthew David Zarrillo

Matthew Zarrillo passed away on Monday, March 23, 2015 surrounded by love, both near and far, from his family and friends. Although his life was too short, Matthew had a tremendous gift of bringing joy and happiness to anyone who knew him or knew of him. His beautiful smile had a way of encouraging others to smile with him. And if you caught him on a good day, he'd even weave in one of his patented "knock-knock" jokes. Matthew's strength and bravery proved that no obstacle was too big. No matter what, he approached every day with a zest for happiness. And even though some days were tougher than others, he continually proved that each day was a blessing and an opportunity to create precious memories. We are lucky to have these wonderful memories of Matthew: • Playing with his tubes, his super-duper bouncy balls, his locks, and his robots. • Watching endless reruns of Scooby-Doo and SpongeBob. Or his favorite DVDs: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Astro Boy, and his bedtime favorite, Ratatouille. • Waking us up in the middle of the night with a "Hey, what's up?" Then showing us why he was the world's best cuddler. • Strutting through Target and Home Depot while training his seizure-response dog, Dori. • Jumping with Mommy in his new trampoline or just relaxing together in his closet full of stuffed animals. • Having weekend sleepovers with Daddy or swimming together every night in the summer. • Building "cuddle island" with Nina and watching movies together. • Hanging out with his very special Kitty and Teddy stuffed animals. Who Matthew said he slept with "twice a day." • And of course, his iPad. Who could forget his iPad? The list goes on and on, and as we remember all of the wonderful things about Matthew, we should most remember that every day is a gift. With his passing we are reminded that his life is one to be celebrated. We will miss him everyday, especially his charming personality, and he will forever remain in our hearts. Our family is so thankful for Matthew's community of caregivers, teachers, therapists, and doctors. All of these special people, too numerous to mention, provided so much love and support, and helped Matthew enjoy his life to the fullest. For that, we are forever grateful. Matthew is survived by his loving parents, Mike and Adrienne; his sister Nina; his maternal grandparents Bill and Joanne, his paternal grandparents Mike and Christina, his uncles Jason, Doug, and Sonny; his aunts Cherie, Maria, Heather, and Dawna; and his cousins Olivia and Alex. Matthew, you filled our "buckets" everyday with your genuine sweetness. We love you. We are so proud of you. We are inspired by you. And, we are better because of you. Rest in happiness our Sweet Boy.