Matthew Royle Paskett

Our beloved Matthew Royle Paskett passed away on June 22, 2025 at the age of 30 at his home in Riverdale, Utah.

Matt, in his soul, was a genuinely kind and empathetic person. He was gracious and generous. Throughout his life, he provided support and reassurance to anyone who was different or needed encouragement. He was self-reliant and fiercely independent. Matt believed that the most important measure of a person’s life is how they treat other people. If more people lived as Matt did, the world would be a better place.

Matt loved to work with his hands. He became an accomplished electrician at a young age, garnering the respect of much older professionals with whom he worked. The work he did required precision and attention to detail. He was a crew leader at Taylor Electric, where he worked for seven years. He worked at Knight Electric for the past three years. Some of his favorite projects were the IRS Complex in Ogden, where he was responsible for an upgrade of the fire alarm system and coordinated with the many contractors and entities involved. He also enjoyed his work at the Salt Lake International Airport demolition and rebuild, The Nielsen Rehabilitation Center at the U of U, and the Ogden Regional Medical Center. He determined the most efficient and cost-effective plans for highly complex technical projects. He enjoyed the challenge. His employers regarded him as the best of employees, both for his practical skills, but also his exemplary work ethic. He was known for being honest, hardworking, conscientious, and thorough.

Music played an important part in Matt’s life. His remarkable memory, ability to read complex musical pieces, and finger-span of 11 keys made him a perfect fit for the piano. He particularly loved playing Rhapsody in Blue, any ragtime piece, difficult arrangements of some popular tunes, and some traditional classical pieces. He was a reluctant performer, but a wonderful accompanist. In his youth, he memorized approximately 100 hymns and was always willing to accompany a church group. One of his most satisfying experiences was when he was called in with only one day’s notice to accompany a choral group on a difficult piece. He pulled it off flawlessly, and the director said she had never had anyone follow her direction so perfectly. He loved that brief experience of being part of something bigger, something which required so many to be in sync. Over the past few years, he taught himself how to play the bass guitar, quickly becoming very proficient. Matt would never show off, but if you could get him to allow you to watch him play, you’d be dazzled by his technical abilities.

Matt loved being outdoors. He enjoyed target shooting with various calibers of rifles and shotguns and was an ace shot. He spent hours as a young boy honing his shooting skills by practicing on little plastic army guys set up around the backyard. He loved four-wheeling, boating, and recently rediscovered the joy of fishing. Matt was also computer savvy - he built his own computer from scratch at a young age and would always lend a hand to anyone who struggled with technology.

Dogs loved Matt, and he loved them back. He adopted several dogs during his life, many that had been abandoned. He cared for them with patience and love. His favorite dog friend, Jack, brought immense joy to him for many years.

Matt was a man of few words, but as the saying goes, “Still waters run deep.” He was a deep thinker. When he did chime in to a conversation, his words were wise, or a hilarious observation about the absurdity of life. Matt was a voracious reader with wide interests, constantly learning about current events, music, philosophy and history.

A little-known fact about Matt is that he suffered from chronic pain from multiple physiological sources from his young teen years. He had overcome difficulties unimaginable to most, he was resilient and did so without drawing attention to himself. His life was on a positive trajectory at his passing. Matt cared deeply for his mother and father, siblings and stepfather. He made sure that those who loved him knew that he loved them in return. His tenacity, remarkable resilience, dry sense of humor, and passion will be missed. Most of all, his goodness, something this world so desperately needs, will be missed.

From Mom: Matty, I will miss you and love you forever. You remain a light in my life, my sunshine. I’m holding you to “The Easy Winners!”

From Dad: I have always been and will continue to be proud of you. I will love and miss you forever. A huge part of my heart goes with you.

From T: I love you, Matt. I feel lucky to have had 30 years with you and will miss you for the rest of my life. Rest easy, Little Brother.

From Charlie: You will always occupy a special place in my heart and mind. I had 17 wonderful years with you. My life is richer because of you!

We are immensely proud of Matt and the life he lived.

Arrangements entrusted to Lindquist’s Layton Mortuary, 1867 N. Fairfield Rd., Layton, Utah.