The day Matt was born, February 23, 1965, the weather in El Paso, Texas, started with a dust storm that was soon replaced by a thunderstorm, which eventually turned to snow that coated the ground. His parents, Bobby and Gayle Sanders, were even more surprised by the entrance of their 8-pound, 8-ounce baby boy than they were by the weather. You see, Matt had four sisters waiting at home to boss him around, with one more to make an appearance a few years later. Luckily, he was an opinionated little fellow who soon found his niche as the only son in the female-heavy family.

Matt was an adventurous soul who had to be watched constantly. He had a propensity to wander if Bobby and Gayle took their eyes off him for even a minute. They lost him at the mall. They lost him at the grocery store. They lost him at Rock City. They lost him in the mountains at Aguirre Springs. Finally, they gave him a whistle to make it easier to find him on those occasions when (not if) he decided to go exploring on his own.

He showed an early interest in the heavens with all those stars, planets, comets, nebulas and galaxies, and spent many nights stargazing from the rooftop of the family home on Borrett Street. As a teenager, he begged, borrowed and stole enough money to buy his first telescope. As soon as he could drive, he would take that telescope into the desert, so the city lights didn’t interfere with his view of the stars and planets. His interest in astronomy never waned throughout his life. He also learned the art of astrophotography and was always willing to set up his telescope at family gatherings and for anyone who shared his interest.

School was a mixed bag for Matt. He had an interest in learning but not always what was being taught—until he accidentally signed up for a physics course at Ysleta High School, believing that it was an easy A. It was anything but that, but Matt excelled at it and went on to earn BS and MS degrees in Physics from the University of Texas at El Paso, as well as a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering awarded December 16, 2000. His doctoral dissertation was entitled “Investigations of the Interactions of the Ge(100) Surface with NH3, NO, and Si2H6,” which shows what a scholar he was.

It was also at UTEP, in 1988, that Matt met Dianne Donlin, a fellow physics major who turned into his best friend, constant companion, confidant, and the great love of his life. Matt and Dianne married on June 6, 1992. They adopted a succession of six dog daughters throughout the years (Jabba, Daisy, Tinker, Ripley, Xena, and Daphne), all of whom adored Matt and were adored by him in return. Like his father before him, Matt was always completely comfortable and happy being the prized male in a family of females!

After Matt received his PhD, the family moved to Tucson, Arizona, where Matt worked at Raytheon for many years. They returned to Texas in 2019, settling in Midlothian.

Matt was a special blend of Gayle and Bobby, fine-tuned by years of growing up with his five adoring sisters (Jenny, Shelley, Amy, Lindsay and Rachel), who all claim that he is their favorite brother. Smart yet modest, sarcastic yet funny, dynamic yet subtle, Matt was truly a unique person who readily admitted to being beaten up by a girl (inevitable with five sisters!) He was a devoted husband, dog dad, friend, and scholar. As an enthusiastic hobby jumper, he delighted in astronomy, photography, telescopes, music, guitars, technology, books, movies, wrist watches, and so much more! He was a great proponent for women everywhere and vocally supported female empowerment, equal rights, and women’s place in STEM. He only had kind words to say about everyone and was unfailingly humble, patient, and diplomatic—truly one of the good guys.

Matt was also a natural teacher who made everyone around him feel better about themselves. He always said that if he could do it, anyone could do it, and his ability to explain hard concepts so that his students and family could understand them made this much more likely to be possible. He was able to keep an auditorium of undergraduates engaged in his astronomy lectures and passed his love of so many subjects (especially astronomy) to so many people he met.

These are some of the things that made Matt uniquely Matt. As a child he loved snakes and tried to keep a black widow as a pet. He loved playing guitar—his guitar seemed almost like an extension of his arms and hands—and his taste in music was eclectic, ranging from “Stairway to Heaven” to Boston’s “Long Time” to Rush to classical music. He was a terrible punster who achieved a place in the family history by coining phrases like “chip-alone” and “Bangus” (Amy’s dog Angus who wouldn’t leave poor Daisy alone). He was a formidable Words with Friends opponent who didn’t hesitate to use his scientific vocabulary to annihilate opponents. He was a serious game player who loved chess among other things, who hated to lose but would never have considered cheating. He loved wearing nerdy science and Star Trek t-shirts and had a quirky sense of humor that he never lost. Whenever he went to chemotherapy, he joked that he should wear his red “Expendable” Star Trek t-shirt. That ability to have fun despite a bad situation was all Matt.

After a brief but intense battle with leukemia, Matt died on December 17, 2021, leaving a huge Matt-shaped black hole in a large circle of family and friends. His life will continue to be celebrated by his wife Dianne, parents Bobby and Gayle, five sisters and their spouses, Dianne’s sister and two brothers, numerous nieces and nephews, and “his girls,” German shepherd mixes Xena and Daphne. We believe he was greeted in the afterlife by Jabba, Daisy, Tinker and Ripley, and all five are now eagerly going for walks and playing fetch.

A Celebration of Life for Matt will be held in February 2022 in San Angelo, TX.