Matthew Vann

Matthew Vann

10/6/1970-12/10/2020

The dash between these dates is much too small to encompass the spirit of Matthew Vann.  It’s difficult enough to compress someone’s life into a few paragraphs, but with a life as big and full as Matt’s, it’s fully impossible.

Matt was a Renaissance Man in the truest sense of the term.  Warrior, Musician, Adventurer, Pirate, Great Love, True Friend, and Chemo Sabe. He was captain of his own ship, literally. A keen conspiracy-debunking enthusiast, Matt was also an avid collector of hobbies; music, ham radio, hunting, fishing, archery, aviation, model rocketry, kites, photography, backpacking, sailing, fencing, motorcycles, bowling, podcasting, astrophotography and any other gear-intensive activity that caught his eye.

Matt’s career was as full and varied as his interests. He began his law enforcement career as a Clerk in the Jail Division of the Midland County Sheriff’s Office in 1991. By the time he retired as a Criminal Investigator for the DA’s Office in 2019, he’d worn just about every law enforcement hat in between. He was especially proud of his time as a SWAT Team Leader and Special Victims Investigator.

He joined the US Coast Guard Reserve after 9-11 and was honorably discharged in 2011. He enjoyed his time in active duty and kept in touch with his fellow Coasties by exchanging dirty jokes and random homo-erotic insults. It’s a coast guard thing.

A musician at heart, Matt played bass with several bands, regularly fending off groupies. One in particular insisted on following him home after every show, claiming to be his wife. It worked out well in the end.

Matt knew the value of a life well lived even before his diagnosis. He always said if it’s worth doing, it’s worth going completely over the top.

With a cancer diagnosis in 2013, his no regrets philosophy took on a deeper meaning. Determined to make as many good memories as possible for himself, friends and family, he became an ordained Dudeist Priest (of the Order of the Latter Day Dude), bought a sailboat and cruised the lakes of west Texas with friends, family and his fat dog. He spent many happy hours in the motorcycle zen zone, worked toward getting his sport pilot license, obtained a Degree in Criminal Justice, earned an expert combat rating in Elite Dangerous, and built an observatory from which he contemplated the great mysteries of the universe—such as “If you choke a smurf, what color does it turn?” and “Do sheep shrink when it rains?”

During his downtime he took up archery, bowling, ax throwing, massage and cooking like Gordon Ramsey.  He also attained the honorable title of World’s 4th Best Podcast Host. Turns out, making good memories with cherished friends was his favorite hobby.

Warrior that he was, Matt fought cancer for 7 years and faced the enemy with courage, heart and humor. He was fond of saying he was living proof that eating vegetables will kill you.

Matt filled his life with remarkable friends and grand adventures, but the fight to stay with us took its toll. On 12/10/2020 his spirit was released from his worn-out body and he is now sailing among the stars that fascinated him so much.

For many of us, his passing has left a hole that will never be filled and a hurt that will never stop. Despite that, we are deeply grateful for the time we had with him. He was such a thoughtful, honest, witty, wonderfully profane, half-cracked eccentric; a truly good man.  He encouraged living a life so full there would be no room for regret at the end. His lesson for us is this:

You have time enough now to make sure you have no regrets, so don’t wait. Learn something new, take that trip you’ve been putting off, buy that big-kid toy you’ve always wanted, tell your friends how much they mean to you, hold your loved ones close. Make good memories every day. Don’t wait, do it now. Because you’ll never know when you can’t.

We invite you to join us in celebrating Matt’s life.

Memorial Service to be held at 3:00 pm Monday, December 21, 2020 at Nalley-Pickle & Welch Funeral Home Chapel (3800 N. Big Spring Street, Midland). A Celebration of Matt’s life will take place at the Branch, building beside the Chapel immediately following the service. We would really like you to share your best memories of Matt at the celebration. For friends and family who would like to participate, a Divine Mercy Chaplet will be said in the Chapel at 2:30 pm, prior to the beginning of the service.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Hope House or Hospice of Midland. Everyone who remembers Matt is asked to celebrate his life in their own way. Suggestions include raising a glass of Shiner in his honor, slapping a headweiner on anyone who fails to use their turn signal, or taking a moment to view the Christmas star (visible on 12/21/20 at 5:45 pm).

Thank you for sharing his life with him.

Arrangements are under the direction of Nalley-Pickle & Welch Funeral Home & Crematory of Midland.  Online condolences may be made at www.npwelch.com.