January 3rd, 1953 - May 22, 2018
Matthew L. Blote passed away peacefully on the morning of May 22nd, 2018, after a 2 year long challenging battle with cancer. Matt is survived by his wife of 41 years, Jeri; his three sons, Jason (Amelia), Jeffrey (Lauren), and James; two beautiful grandchildren, Macie (7) and Max (3); fraternal twin brother Michael; and brother Gary. He is preceded in death by his parents, Erwin and Nancy; older brother Mark; younger sister Diane; and grandson Jameson.
Matt was born in Tucson, Arizona at Davis Monthan Air Force Base and spent much of his childhood relocating to different parts of the world as a result of his father’s military profession. He and his family ended up settling in Petaluma, CA around the time that Matt started high school. He graduated from Petaluma High School, and then attended college at the University of Santa Clara, graduating in only 3 ½ years. Matt was an accomplished trumpet player and was a part of his high school concert, jazz, and prep bands. While in college, Matt found many of his life long loves, including meeting his wife Jeri, learning how to play golf, and discovering his love of riding road bikes.
After going back to school to study accounting, Matt enjoyed a successful career as a Certified Public Accountant and owned his own practice in Lodi, CA from 1985 to when he retired in 2013. Matt was a devoted father and loved to spend time with his family. He was a part of several competitive local softball teams, and took pride in never missing any of his sons athletic or academic events. He enjoyed teaching and playing golf with his oldest son Jason, watching his son Jeffrey become a husband and a father, and being a basketball coach and confidant to his youngest son James.
Matt will be missed greatly by his family and will always be known for his unconditional love of his wife, his sons, his grandchildren, and for the simple fact that he was always supportive, loving, and selfless when it came to his family.
Donations in Matt’s honor may be made to Lodi Lions Club Foundation PO BOX 496 in Lodi, CA 95241. Please visit www.cherokeememorial.com to sign Matt’s guest book.
Refreshments will be served after the service.
SERVICES
A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, May 29th at 10am at the Vineyard Chapel at Cherokee Memorial Park, 14165 North Beckman Road, Lodi, California