Matthew Dempsey

Matthew Dempsey of Mount Prospect, Illinois, passed away on September 6, 2022. He went to be with the Lord after a 13-year bout with the rare cancer liposarcoma.

Matt was born in Milford, Massachusetts, on October 1, 1958, to his loving parents Gilbert and Nancy Dempsey. His dad was a banker for the Bank of Boston and his mom was a nurse who retired to raise Matthew, his sister, and his three brothers. As a child, he loved being outdoors in the family’s large yard and woods and fields behind the house in Franklin, and he loved playing sports with his siblings and friends. Matt was very proud of the fact that even after all these years his siblings remain among his closest friends, despite geographical distance.

Matt attended St. Mary’s Grade School in Franklin, Massachusetts, and graduated from Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood, Massachusetts, in 1976. He worked for Nether Lair Kennels during high school and traveled to the Midwest to attend Purdue University with intentions to become a veterinarian. The realities of organic chemistry classes changed his focus, and he graduated from Purdue in 1980 with a BS in Agricultural Economics. After working for Wabash Valley Nurseries in West Lafayette, Indiana, he returned to Massachusetts and worked in the greenhouse and landscape business. In 1983 he became an Assistant County Supervisor with the USDA Farmers Home Administration in Greenfield, Massachusetts. He enjoyed working with New England’s farmers in agricultural lending and securing mortgage loans for the rural housing program. He enjoyed living in the agricultural area of western Massachusetts for 7 years before moving to a county supervisor position for Farmers Home in Sutton, Massachusetts, for one year.

His life changed for the better when he met a friend of his sister’s at her wedding in 1983, Bobbie Casey. On September 7, 1991, Matt married the love of his life after their 8-year cross-country romance. She was the light of his life, an amazing wife and mother as well as a self-employed book editor. They shared many adventures and many laughs over the years with friends and family.

Matt moved to Chicago to work for the United Airlines Employees Credit Union as a loan officer in 1991. He held many positions there over the years and had just celebrated his 31-year anniversary with the credit union, now known as Alliant. His most recent position was managing the consumer lending and home equity underwriting groups.

Matt and Bobbie settled in Mount Prospect and raised two children, Mary Kate and Colleen. They were active parents. Matt particularly enjoyed their sports involvement as well as their scouting and musical accomplishments and attended every event. He loved holiday traditions and conjured up special Christmas searches every year for that one last special gift.

Matt continued his own dad’s tradition of the cross-country road trips in the family Chevrolet. The Dempseys enjoyed visiting many National Parks, Civil War sites, Cape Cod, and, especially, trips to the West. He particularly loved the beauty and solitude of Grand Teton National Park, where the family enjoyed memorable experiences over the years. He took the family to 41 different states and Matt had been to every one of the contiguous 48 states.

Matt loved his family dearly. His greatest regret on his passing is his not being able to be there to watch his children grow into their adult years, but he hopes he has left them with an adventuring spirit to fill their future years.

Despite moving to Chicago, Matt always kept his boyhood love of his Boston teams and was rewarded for his loyalty with the many championships Boston sports teams have amassed over recent years. He attended many New England Patriots games with his brothers until his move to Chicago in 1991. He was fortunate to have attended the 1986 World Series, the 1985 Super Bowl, and the 1990 Stanley Cup Finals. He continued to attend Purdue football games annually and truly enjoyed those recent reunion gatherings with his Purdue friends from more than 40 years ago.

Matt was a past member of the St. Thomas Aquinas Knights of Columbus in West Lafayette, Indiana, a presenter at “Banking in your Future” in local schools, and a member of Saint Emily’s Church in Mount Prospect. He was active in the Saint Emily’s Men’s Basketball League for many seasons and would like to thank all the players for their camaraderie and competitiveness over the years.

Matt was an avid photographer (he referred to himself as a volume photographer!) and carried his Nikon to all events. His work was featured a dozen times in the Daily Herald’s “Your Images” contest. In addition to photography, he was also an avid gardener and always dreamed of being a farmer. He enjoyed sitting on his deck for hours every night watching the birds, hawks, and owls, the nightly sunsets, and nature God provided. He also enjoyed the companionship of the many family pets over the years and is sad to leave behind his beloved golden retriever, Murphy.

Matt was preceded in death by his parents, Gilbert Owen and Nancy Irene Dempsey, his uncle Tom Haggerty, his aunt and uncle Betty and Ed Bulman, and his uncle Fred Hanson, along with his nephew Andrew Ralph Dempsey. Matt leaves behind his wife Roberta and daughters Mary Kathleen and Colleen Elizabeth of Mount Prospect, Illinois; his brother Andrew (wife Jane Hill) of Malden, Massachusetts, sister Mary Anne Poinsatte (husband John Paul) of Hixson, Tennessee, brother Terrence (wife Peggy) of Moultonborough, New Hampshire, and brother Martin (wife Renee) of Watkinsville, Georgia, along with beloved cousins, especially Barbara and Neil Lynch; aunt Nancy Hanson, and Aunt Emily Haggerty; and nieces and nephews, Justin Poinsatte (wife Lauren Kelly), Rachael Huser (husband Drew), Joanna Poinsatte (husband Jacob Fraint), Kerry Dempsey, Danielle Dempsey, and Julia Dempsey, and one sparkling great-nephew, Owen Huser.

He would like to thank his friends and relatives for their support during the recent challenging months and his coworkers and friends for their friendship over the years.

His funeral mass will be celebrated on Monday, September 26 in St. Mary’s Church, Franklin, Massachusetts at 11:00a.m.

Burial will follow in the parish cemetery.

Visitation will be on Monday, September 26 from 9:00a.m. -10:30 a.m. in the Ginley Funeral Home of Franklin (www.ginleyfuneralhomes.com)131 Main Street, Franklin.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to causes near and dear to Matthew’s heart: Grand Tetons National Park Foundation, Glacier National Park Conservancy, and Pioneer Valley Humane Society in Greenfield, Massachusetts.