Matthew Samuel Sandone, 48, of Danbury, Conn., passed away on Sunday, August 21, after an illness of several months. He was born in Bridgeport, Conn., on March 30, 1974, and grew up in Sandy Hook, Conn. Mr Sandone graduated from Newtown High School in 1992 and attended Howard University and Fordham University. He lived in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and New York before settling in Danbury. He worked at Redding Ridge Market in the 1990s and provided private yard work services.

Mr Sandone is survived by his mother, Beatrice (Felia) Sandone, and his six siblings: Mary Beth AuYeung (Eddie) of Manchester, Conn., Cory Sandone of Baltimore, Md., Lisa Sandone of Goshen, Conn., Brenda Pitt (Devon) of Woodbury, Conn., Patrice Sandone (Vincent Ronse) of Ghent, Belgium, and Adam Sandone of Ellsworth, Maine. He will be deeply missed by all. He is also survived by his nieces and nephews: Nicholas, Benjamin, and Nathaniel AuYeung; Carlene and Claudia Buccino; Julian Moore and Pearl Sandone; Adam and Serena Pitt; Pascale and Ludwig Maes; and Jack and Mary Sandone.

Matt was preceded in death by his father, Victor Sandone.

Tall, strong, smart and polite, Matt was a gentle person with a ferocious interest in music, geography, and philosophy. He possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of rock and alternative bands and was an ardent collector and trader of music, preferred format: CDs. A resident of Danbury for over 20 years, Matt shared his apartment with his beautiful Siamese cat, Phil, and also fed the neighborhood cats who he could observe from his windows. Matt enjoyed walking in Tarrywile Park and other parts of Danbury. In his teens, he hiked many New England trails with his father, including summiting Mount Katahdin in Maine. Matt lived his life with integrity and dignity, and his low-carbon footprint was an inspiration to us all.

Matt was laid to rest in St Rose Cemetery in Sandy Hook on Saturday, August 27.

Donations may be made in his name to Dorothy Day Hospitality House, PO Box 922, Danbury CT 06913, or to Regional Hospice, 30 Milestone Road, Danbury CT 06810.

Funeral arrangements were in care of Honan Funeral Home, 58 Main Street, Newtown.