Phillip Matthew Reddy

Phillip Matthew Reddy (Matt) passed peacefully into the loving arms of Our Lord on June 14, 2013 at his suburban Seattle home, after a long battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife Debbie, his sons Christopher, Patrick and Jeffrey, his daughters-in-law Kristi and Kristen, his grandson Everett Matthew, and his sisters, brothers, nephews, nieces, cousins and friends. He was 63 years old. Matt was born February 5, 1950, to John L. Reddy, Jr. and Genevieve Tillman, in Kansas City, Kansas. His father, a second generation Irish American, was a chemical engineer who worked for the Kansas City Water Department. A veteran of World War II, John Jr. served as a fighter pilot in the European Theater and received the Bronze Star for valor during service. Matts mother was a nurse before marrying John. They had 13 children. Matt was the 3rd child, born one year after his older twin siblings John III and Mary Beth. His many brothers and sisters followed: Thomas, Michael, Roseanne, Agnes, Margaret, Peter, Paul, Steven, Francis, and Joseph. Steven passed in 2012. The large Kansas City family home was filled with children, growth, chaos and laughter from the early 1950s to the 80s. At a very early age, Matt pursued his innate spirit of adventure. After completing high school at Center Senior High in 1968, Matt enlisted in the United States Navy and was sent to San Diego for basic training. Shortly thereafter he served in Vietnam for two tours of duty from 1969 to 1976. In 1972, while stationed on the USS Wallace L. Lind in Portland, Oregon he met the love of his life, Debbie Bautch at a hip Portland disco bar. Debbie, originally from St. Cloud, Minnesota, moved to Portland with her mother, Terri, when she was a child. In 1973, he and Debbie gave birth to their firstborn son, Chris, at Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego, California. After being honorably discharged with the rank of Petty Officer First Class, Matt enrolled in college at the University of Portland. The couple eventually moved back to Portland, and in 1977 they gave birth to their son, Patrick, followed by Jeff in 1979. From the first day he was a wonde father and loving husband. His family always came first. He would spend countless hours as a scout leader, coaching little league, basketball, and volleyball-anywhere the need arose. An outdoorsman he would take his family camping regularly. He taught his sons how to build a house, repair a boat, weld, ski, make a three pointer, and fix just about anything on the planet. He was a do-it-yourself kind of guy. For a born engineer, no manual was required, and most of the fun was just figuring out how to solve the problem. In 1980, Matt graduated from the University of Portland with a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering. He began his career at Tektronix, in Portland. Matt excelled at engineering, reasoning, problem solving and complex mathematics. In 1989 he received his professional engineering certification from the Oregon State Board of Engineering Examiners. In 1990, Matt took a job at Sundstrand Data Control/Honeywell International, in Redmond, Washington. He would commute from Portland to Seattle, until relocating his family to the Seattle area in 1994. For a period of time he worked for Olin Aerospace/Primex, in Woodinville, Washington, where he focused on thermodynamic and complex electronics packaging for the F-35 advanced fighter jet. With Matts strong passion for lerometer design, he returned to Honeywell where he helped innovate, improve and create many technological advancements. Matt helped to develop cutting edge lerometers that measure minute changes in the leration of an object and thermal switches that allow systems to turn on and off based on temperature. Today these devices are used in advanced military applications as part of our nations defense system and helped to make the Mars Rover expedition a suss. Similar devices are used in nearly every smart phone, t and gaming console available on the market. Some of his inventions were patented, and he continued to work as an engineer until the onset of central nervous system lymphoma in June 2008. He retired shortly thereafter, and initially fought off the rare form of cancer, keeping it in remission until 2012 when it returned. Until his recent battle, he spent his days studying engineering manuals, writing and editing an Engineers Guide to Finite Element Analysis, reading books, refurbishing old radios, playing poker, cribbage and croquet, woodworking, and spending time with his family. Matt was a loving, kind, intelligent and compassionate husband, father and friend. To all who knew him, he was available to help in a time of need, provide a quick joke, solve a complex technological problem, or engage in political debate. He was a free spirit who loved and appreciated so many points of view, but held firm to his beliefs. He instilled in his children a belief in honesty, dedication, hard work and love. He led by example. He will be missed by all who knew him, but never forgotten. Announcement: In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Swedish Cancer Institute General Fund, href=http://www.swedish.org/ www.swedish.org and click on make a gift option at bottom of page.