Matthew Jonathan London

Matthew Jonathan London was born in Austin on May 28th, 1967. Two days later, he was adopted to become the son of Charlotte and Michael London, and the brother of Janelle. On the eighth day of his life, he was brought into the Covenant of Abraham with the Hebrew name of Matisyahu Yahnahsahn – A Gift from God. Three years later, Matt’s “younger brudder” Mitchell joined the family. At age two, Matt began having seizures – every day for the next 55 years. We were told by his neuro-doctors that he probably would never learn or gain capability. We parents refused to accept that future for our son. By age 6, Matt was in special ed at Casis School when he brought home a paper with primitive-looking scratches– the letters were M-A-T-T. With the help of wonderful teachers such as Martha Rasco, Matt learned to read, to spell, to print, to type, to draw, to do simple math, and to speak long sentences without stopping. He learned to swim without taking a breath, and he rode horses in Cloudcroft each summer. Matt always remembered that time when Bob-the Horse stepped on his foot, Matt said, “Ouch!” He learned how to take a shower by himself, to wash his hands, and to brush his teeth. He also loved creating art and listening to music and dancing with the girls – especially at his high school for special-needs students. Matt graduated from Clifton Center High School in Austin. We were so very proud of his accomplishments. Charlotte’s four sisters, and Mike’s three sisters generated lots of family for Matt – with the oldest being his 105-year-old Grandma, Martha Sembera, also known as “Nannie Bera.” After many years of caring for Matt at home, Charlotte and Mike chose to find security for him that could extend beyond their lifetimes. That was about 30 years ago, and Matt began living at Jones House led by Vance Clewis. Matt defined his place there by labelling himself as “Room Boss,” and he called Vance “Kitchen Boss.” We have great appreciation for the way that Vance has made Jones House a safe haven for Matt, and we think of him as part of our family. And we give special thanks to caregivers, Terry Glen, Ruth, and Omar. Matt’s sister, Janelle, married Gerald Wluka in 2001, and Matt had a new “Brudder-and-Law.” That’s how he said it. And soon, Matt had two gorgeous nieces – Georgia and Vivienne. Oh, did he like to talk about those nieces. Matt’s mother, Charlotte, died in 2007, and the whole family was devastated. Luckily for us, Matt was well-established in his life at Jones House. Four years later, Mike and Kate met, and in 2014 they were married. So, Matt had a new stepmother, who he called “Kate.” Kate doted on Matt, and Matt tolerated her for a while until he decided that she was “okay.” In the past year, Matt had health issues that resulted in a major surgery and residence at South Park Meadows Nursing Center. One of the male caregivers, Leo, would joke with Matt, and Matt laughed a lot. Leo would come to take Matt to the showers, and Matt delighted in saying, “No, YOU take a shower, Leo!” And then Matt would laugh and say the same thing over and over. Matt is survived by his father, Michael London; his sister, Janelle London; and his brother, Mitchell London. Also, Matt’s brother-in-law and Janelle’s husband, Gerald Wluka, and their daughters, Georgia Wluka and Vivienne Wluka. Also Matt’s stepmother, Kate Graham; his grandmother, Martha Sembera; his aunts and uncles on Charlotte’s side, Martha Carole and Donald Day, Patsy Dyson, Susie and Kenneth Armbrister, and Sally and Andy Silvester. Also, his aunts and uncles on Mike’s side: Kathy and Donnie Gross, Judy and Fred Helms, and Patti and Brent Howell; and Kate’s daughter and son-in-law, Sara and Tom Rabstenek, and Kate’s son, Sam Bremen. Matt is also survived by many cousins up and down the various family lines. Matt London laughed and played and joked and teased. He read and learned and commented. He would get angry and he would be loving and kind. He would disparage and he would praise. Sometimes, he would cry, and we would cry with him. Now, we can cry. He cannot. A livestream of the service will be available on the Austin Natural Funerals Facebook Page, http://facebook.com/austinnaturalfunerals/. A Facebook account is not required to watch. If a pop-up window appears asking you to log in click "not now" and the live stream will be available for you to watch. If the "not now" button does not appear, scroll down on the page and it will come up for you to select.

Matthew Jonathan London

May 28, 1967 - October 21, 2024