Matteo Piero Porcedda was born on July 14, 1993 and passed away in a hiking accident in Ahwahnee (Yosemite) on October 6, 2021.
Born to Lynn and Ignazio Porcedda, he was the light of his parents’ lives.
Matteo grew up in San Mateo and went to school in San Mateo, San Carlos and Redwood City.
At Sequoia High School, Matteo played linebacker on the 2010-2011 Sequoia football team and also competed on the track and field team. He was an outstanding wrestler, who qualified for the state championship meet in 2011. His athletic achievements were more impressive considering he held a GPA above 4.0 while participating in the IB programme.
While still in high school, Matteo worked many jobs, in addition to starting his own moving company, Students With Muscle. He continued running and working Students with Muscle while getting his Bachelor’s in Rhetoric and a minor in Education, at UC Berkeley. He then spun Students with Muscle into the successful moving company, Up and Up Movers and First Hand Piano Movers. Everywhere he worked, Matteo was well known for his incredible work ethic, his kindness to, and his support of, his co-workers.
To know Matteo was to know true warmth. His playful and radiant energy brought joy to all his circles. Even if you didn’t know him, you could see the authentic kindness in Matteo’s face.
Matteo had many gifts. He had a lifelong love of, and talent for, music. During the most challenging experiences of his life, music carried him through. He played the guitar, violin, bass, piano, and made beats. Some of the most joyful memories many people have of Matteo involve music. He also wrote poetry and competed in Slam Poetry competitions as forms of self-expression. Matteo won at CalSlam and went to Nationals in Virginia with a poem about his father. It would be remiss not to mention the importance of wrestling and jiu jitsu in his life. He felt truly himself, fully embodied when practicing martial arts.
Matteo’s transcendent love for cooking was rooted especially in the traditions of his Sardinian family. When he made food for others, it was his way of honoring sacred family knowledge passed down to him by his father. Nourishing his loved ones, he said, was a form of love and self-care.
He was a protector, provider, warrior and teacher. Beyond simply discerning right from wrong, he was extraordinary in that he did something about it, consistently acting according to his values and advocating for oppressed people. He used his strength for good, and he always shared his resources with others unconditionally. He believed in everyone's capacity to grow and become their best selves. Always willing to hear one's story, he genuinely cared about each and every person in his life. His principles of cooperation, integration, and collectivity informed all of his decisions, both personally and at work. His great dream was to live communally, the way he saw his people live in Sardegna, his family’s homeland. He was both traditional and non-traditional in his practice of kinship.
Matteo’s profoundly inspiring and unconditional love leaves an unfading impression upon his chosen and birth family in the states and in Sardegna. To say Matteo was unique is an understatement; a star like him only comes around once every few lifetimes, and those lucky enough for him to choose us experienced a singular stardust love that will radiate forever.
Matteo was preceded in passing by his father, Ignazio Porcedda. Matteo leaves behind his mother, Lynn, his grandmother, Joan, numerous uncles, aunts, and cousins here and in Sardegna, and his partner Xarí. He made friends instantly, and those friends were drawn into his family.
Many scholarships have been started in Matteo’s memory. If you would like to contribute to: Sojourn to the Past, Sequoia High School Scholarships, Berkeley Free Clinic, or the Berkeley Student Cooperatives, please check the donations and contributions page here.
This obituary can also be found on the Crippen and Flynn Chapels website.