Matthew Frerer

1966 - 2012

(1966-2012)

Matt, born Nov. 4, 1966, passed away at home peacefully early Friday, Feb. 17, 2012, after a courageous two-year battle with cancer.

Matt was born in Dearborn, Mich., and moved to Encino, Calif., with his family at age five. He graduated from Birmingham High School in Encino. He attended CSUN and UCLA, graduating from the latter with a BS in economics. He was a proud member of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, BP 263. Not surprisingly, Matt remained close with many of his college friends through the years.

Right after graduation, near the end of 1990, he started dating the love of his life Alicia, after meeting at Traffic School where Matt was her boss. They were married seven and a half years later on May 17, 1998. Together they built a loving family, welcoming daughter Sarah Marie on May 25, 1999, and son Jake Thomas on June 25, 2001.

He spent several years as a Financial Planner and then worked for Cole Emerson & Associates specializing in Business Continuity/Risk Management. Fifteen years ago, with several opportunities before him, he chose to work for Amgen, where he remained employed until the time of his passing. Matt was a very social man. There was nothing more important to Matt than his family and his home, which Alicia and Matt opened constantly to a never-ending parade of friends and family. One was always sure to find Matt either manning the grill, frolicking with the kids in the pool, or strumming and singing his guitar with his wonderful smile and vibrant smiling eyes.

Music was one of Matt's true passions in life, and he rarely passed up an opportunity to play and sing anything from his Big Book of Songs. He was a Jeopardy junkie and he loved to read. He also took great pride in his home, and loved doing the work around the house and yard himself. He was one of those rare home handymen whose pride was well earned from his hard work and dedication. An enthusiastic competitor in any kind of contest, he loved board games, video games and could often be found out in the street on a warm evening rallying the neighborhood kids in an improvised game of some kind.

He loved human interaction, and enjoyed engaging in debates and conversations of any kind, often playing the devil's advocate in an argument so as to explore everything there was to explore. A freethinker and naturally curious soul, he was always able to see all sides of an issue. But more importantly than anything, Matt was a great father and husband to his family. A strong supporter of all of his kids' endeavors, you would always see him and Alicia at softball, baseball, soccer, track meets and choir presentations his children were participating in. Often you would find him running the scoreboard or simply cheering Jake and Sarah on. He also loved loading up the car and piling the family and dogs into the van and heading out to nature to camp with friends and family. He always saw the way forward, and rarely let life's worries or troubles disrupt his zeal for life.

Matt was preceded in death by his mother, Linda; his grandparents; and his uncle, P.R. He is survived by his wife, Alicia; children, Sarah and Jake; siblings, Eric, Kristine and twin sister Michelle (brother-in-law Mark); father, Bruce (his wife Risha); in-laws, Mary and Zig, and William and Jo Ann; nieces, Paige, Jessica, Melody, Samantha, Madeline and Aliya; nephew, Jack; and a multitude of friends.

Memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 25, at the United Methodist Church of Simi Valley, 2394 Erringer Road, 93065. There has been a Memorial Fund set up for the children of Matthew and Alicia Frerer. Memorial donations can be made to the Matthew Frerer Memorial Fund at Wells Fargo Bank, 2740 Cochran Street, Simi Valley, CA 93065.