With grieving hearts, we announce Matthew Gregory Tarantino’s passing on August 4, 2025 at the age of 41. Born on May 3, 1984, Matt was a beloved son, brother, husband, friend and devoted father. He passed away in San Francisco, California, where he built a joyful and meaningful life with his family.

 

Matt lived his dream of creating a warm and loving home with his wife, Marisa McKay Tarantino, and their two young children, Callahan and Isla. Nothing brought him more joy than being a husband and father. He embraced spending time with his children with playful energy, humor, unwavering love, pride, and immeasurable happiness. Saturday morning soccer followed by donuts in the park with Cal was a treasured ritual, as was running and splashing in the waves at Ocean Beach. He cherished the special alone one-on-one time spent with Isla doing nighttime bottles and cuddles in the morning before anyone else was awake. His family was his heart, and their lives were filled with laughter, love, and joyful moments.

 

Matt lived life to his fullest, every single day. Woven into his life was an extraordinary tapestry of friendships that stretched from San Carlos to Sacred Heart Prep to Santa Clara to University of Michigan to Chicago to San Francisco and everywhere in between. He cherished the time spent with his friends and far surpassed everyone’s expectations of what it meant to be a loyal friend.

 

Matt was a proud graduate of Santa Clara University and shortly thereafter earned his CPA. He was determined to continue challenging himself, spending time teaching English in Cambodia before setting his sights on earning his MBA from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. Matt went on to build a successful and respected career in finance, most recently serving as Head of Finance at MidDesk.

 

Until his final days, he continued to give back to every community he was a part of, volunteering his time, finances and energy. Matt cared deeply about other people and was an advocate for helping those less fortunate.

 

He is survived by wife Marisa, two children Callahan (2.5) and Isla (5m), parents Nancy and Paul, siblings Steven (Jordan) and Diana (Kevin), in-laws Brian and Laura, Carly (Kyle), Mitchell (Becca), grandparents and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews.

 

Matt used to write himself mantras on notecards and leave them around his house to inspire and remind himself of his various goals. To truly celebrate the legacy he leaves, we encourage everyone to ‘Live Like Matt.’ Some of his favorite sayings include:

• Travel early and often

• If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way

• There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure

• Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the Big things

• We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand

 

A celebration of Matt’s life will be held on August 26, 2025 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club at 1630 Stockton Street in San Francisco. In lieu of flowers and other gifts, the family asks that donations be made in Matt’s honor. Two charities can be found here. They both address the needs of at-risk youth in San Francisco, a cause Matt cared deeply about.

 

Though words cannot express the depth of our loss, we will forever be grateful for the gift of Matt’s life and the love he gave so freely.