Matthew Allen

Matthew Gold Allen

Brother, son, brother-in-law, uncle, friend, nephew, cousin, philanthropist, and sports fan.

Our beloved Chewy passed away due to a heart that could no longer work on May 7th, 2021 at just 43 years old. He was born on July 11th, 1977.  Little did he know Slurpees would become the signature drink of his day.

Chewy was deeply inspired by Mr. Rogers, Jim Henson, and the music of the Larry Mullen Band (U2) which he traveled across the states to see.

He FaceTimed his tiny best buddy, V, nearly every day.  Just the best Uncle ever.  Their friendship more powerful than words can express.

Chewy loved to sing and listen to music.  He especially loved live music and attended too many concerts to list. With an ear for music, he played several brass instruments as well as the guitar and was learning to the play the drums.  He loved to watch movies and to quote them, especially Star Wars.

He took care of a feral cat colony. And cared for many rescue animals.  A brilliant photographer of life and landscapes.

Chewy is preceded in death by his grandparents, aunts, and uncles, dear cousin and friend, Arthur, several fish, his cat Bee, his dogs: Max, Cookie, Bubba Lou, Sunny, and Jimmy.

His core values included kindness, integrity, justice, and honesty.  Chewy had a deep love, agape, of Jesus Christ, especially the teachings of caring for each other. He loved to buy gifts for his loved ones and for strangers too.   If you ever needed something, he was ready to help in any way he could. He often donated to local homeless shelters, Earth conservation organizations, schools, and food banks.

After his grandma passed away from cancer, he grew his hair out to donate for wigs.  Children, animals, and seniors loved him.

A gentle giant; collector of vinyl, books, hats, and blankets.

As a brave trauma survivor, Chewy did his best to overcome his experiences through counseling, kindness, meditation, and yoga.

He loved watching sports with friends and family, especially football, hockey, and baseball. He held season tickets for University of Utah football with his mom for many years and loved cheering the Utes on to victory. He had been looking forward to the 2021 season games. A student of environmental science at the U of U, he had studied abroad in London, England.

Chewy enjoyed yoga and meditation with his sister outdoors.  His next planned adventure was to attend pastry school, post pandemic. He loved to bake and had planned to open a bakery with his sister whom he lovingly called Balky.

Chewy was a landlocked merman with his heart and soul belonging to the ocean. The freedom, strength, and grace of the ocean always brought him peace. His favorite place to visit was the North Shore of Oahu.

His parents, Kathryn and Steven, request that in lieu of flowers, people consider making a donation to the Surfrider Foundation in his memory.  Chewy deeply believed in the need to care for our Earth and her waters.

A private celebration of life for loved ones will be held at a later date this year, because Chewy thought funerals were too sad.

Meanwhile, our gentle giant would want you to take care of your health, our Earth, and to just be kind to one another.