Matthew Stehl

Matthew Stehl, age 46, passed away on Friday, January 10, 2020.

Born in Wilmington, DE, Matt is the son of Ellis and Janet (Gibbons) Stehl. He was a graduate of Salesianum High School Class of 1991. Matt had attended St. Bonaventure University in New York before graduating from the University of Delaware in 1996 with a Bachelor’s Degree with a double major in Political Science and Philosophy and a minor in History.

Matt spent 25 years of his life working to build non-profits in his community and help allocate funds to foster their growth, including Highmark Blue Cross where he was the Corporate and Community Communications Manager from 2013 to 2019. Most recently, Matt was the Regional Charitable and Community Involvement Manager at M & T Bank. Matt also held positions and board seats for many non-profits including the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition, Philanthropy Delaware, Rotary Club of Wilmington, Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement, Delaware Public Media, Downtown Visions, Union Hospital in Elkton, and Best Buddies in Pennsylvania. His hard work and dedication toward serving others impacted many in this community who may never have known his name. His talents and generosity will be sorely missed.

Family was the most important part of Matt’s life. He was a devoted husband and a doting sports dad, who never missed his sons’ sporting events. Matt was committed to having fun family adventures with his wife and sons. They treasured their many vacations and traveled all over the world, most notably Western New York, Hawaii and Europe, as well as their annual end of school year celebration at the Delaware beaches.

Matt will be remembered for his amazing sense of humor, and was known for his many funny Facebook posts, as well as his curious spirit and constant thirst for knowledge. He was always willing to make a new friend and his warm and friendly personality was welcoming to everyone he met. Once you were friends with Matt, the connection was lifelong and you could always count on him, regardless of how long you knew him. Matt was the unofficial Mayor of Delaware, as there was no where he could go that he didn’t know someone.

In his leisure time, Matt was a passionate Philadelphia sports team fan with his favorite team being the Eagles. It will always be 41-33 for Matt. He enjoyed many Union games where he was a season ticket holder and member of Sons of Ben. Matt made every game, rain or shine. Two of Matt’s favorite days of the year were the annual Jimmy Buffett concert and St. Patrick’s Day. He enjoyed having boat drinks with fellow Parrot Heads and had a passion for Irish music.

Matt was also an avid cyclist and runner. He ran the New York Marathon, many half marathons and loved his Saturday morning spin class. While he was in college, he enjoyed playing European handball. Matt was a voracious reader and especially enjoyed history and political books. He was never someone you wanted to play Jeopardy against.

Matthew is survived by his loving wife of 15 years, Melanie J. (Winship) Stehl; his sons, Nolan Howard Stehl and Coleman Patrick Stehl; his parents, Ellis and Janet Stehl; his brother, Kevin Stehl (Meredith Lutz Stehl); as well as numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and in-laws. He will be dearly missed by his beloved dog and best buddy, Gus.

Family and friends may visit from 3:00 to 6:00 PM on Thursday, January 16 at Doherty Funeral Home, 3200 Limestone Rd., Wilmington, DE 19808, where a Celebration of Matt’s Life will begin promptly at 6:00 PM. Interment will be private.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in Matt’s memory to: Moms Demand Action Or Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition.

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