Matthew Wallace Bender

Matthew Wallace Bender June 6, 1957 - October 27, 2007 On the morning of October 27, in the company of his loved ones, Matt passed away at his home in Roseville and rests now in peace after a long and admirable battle with brain cancer. Matt was born in San Francisco, raised in Pacifica, attending Terra Nova High School (75') and moved to the Sacramento area in the early 80's, residing the last seven years in Roseville. Growing up in Pacifica, Matt enjoyed motorcycle riding in the hills of Linda Mar and blazing the trails along San Pedro Creek. Matt was also an outstanding athlete, participating in football and track through his high school years. In 1982, Matt married his hometown sweetheart, Audrey. That same year, daughter, Nicole was born and the family relocated to the Sacramento area, eventually settling for nearly 14 years in the community of Lake of the Pines, located between Auburn and Grass Valley. In both the Bay Area and Sacramento, Matt worked various construction related jobs, eventually starting his own business. Subsequently, Matt retrained himself to gain an expertise in data networking, which he subsequently leveraged into a rewarding career as a data engineer for Wells Fargo. Such a career transition was not surprising to those who knew Matt, for he was one of the most versatile individuals around, capable of high achievement for just about anything he set his mind to- whether it be to build a home, manage a small business or troubleshoot and optimize a data network. Beyond the work versatility, Matt was a great role model on how to live life and treat others. As a father, son, brother, husband and friend, Matt conducted himself in such an admirable way that will always stand as our benchmark for excellence. He was so very well liked and admired as a person, and was always willing to help others, either through his own blood, sweat and tears or as an anonymous donor to a worthy cause. Matt found great enjoyment in life sharing time with family and friends and supporting various community organizations. He was able to combine these desires in the Lake of the Pines community as a longtime coach of girl's youth softball and as a past president of the Lake of the Pines Water Ski Club. He was also an active volunteer and supporter of the Bear River High School athletic programs. For his own personal recreation, in addition to water skiing and playing on a Baseball team, Matt was also an avid mountain biker and he found great enjoyment snorkeling and scuba diving in the waters of Hawaii and Costa Rica. Perhaps his favorite past time though, was tripping on his Harley, most often with Audrey in tow and taking in the sights of the California coast or the mountains of Yosemite and Oregon. Matt was such a wonderful person and we will miss him greatly. He taught us all how to live, and his legacy and memories will be with us forever. Matt is survived by his beloved wife Audrey; his daughter Nicole Bender-Boone (Robert); grandsons, Cameron and Rory; his mother Carole Aymeric (Gilbert); brothers, William and Timothy; brothers-in-law, Gilbert, Philip and Nicholas; 7 step-siblings, 3 nephews, 5 nieces and many, many loving friends and relatives. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, November 3 at 11:00 am at St. Clare Catholic Church, 1950 Junction Blvd., Roseville, CA 95747 (916) 772-4717. Memorial donations can be made to the National Brain Tumor Foundation, www.braintumor.org or the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through their Team in Training site, http://www. active. com/ donate/tntsvmb/shaunabender. God Bless