Matthew J. Cahir

Matthew J. Cahir, 53, died in Crested Butte, Colorado on April 18, 2025. He was the loving father of Henry Stephen Cahir and Phoebe Frances Cahir. Born in Providence, RI, he was a son of Maureen H. (Crowley) Cahir and the late Thomas H. Cahir.

He loved life. His warm personality made everyone who knew him feel special. Matty could meet a stranger on a park bench and be invited to a family gathering at their home the next night. His enthusiasm for life impacted the world around him and everyone he met.

He leaves us countless stories and endless moments of laughter as well as deep contemplation. His big heart and sharp wit kept those who loved him smiling. Quick to crack wise, he also had immense depth of character. Matty lived his life with honor and integrity. Doing the right thing meant that he sometimes didn’t fit into the crowd or societal norms. He lived life on his terms. When he was in college at Western State, he dropped out for a time to join an American Indian Movement protest run across the US.

Matty had deep respect for the sacredness of land and this earth. A sense of adventure took him to mountains and oceans and everywhere in between. In his twenties he hitchhiked through Mexico and Central America. He was an avid outdoorsman and held great reverence for all that it entailed. He taught his son Henry to honor nature and its bounties, and instilled the same love for the wilderness in him.

Whenever Big Matt was around, he made sure we had ourselves a time. He had a penchant for instigation and was a world-class mischief-maker. He was funny; you definitely wanted to be sitting next to him or within earshot. With four siblings, he joked about being “litter raised.” Matt could give you the business like nobody else. He had an uncanny understanding of people and human nature. He was always the coolest guy in the room, but also the most approachable. He would take the time to listen quietly to whatever was on your mind. Sometimes all it took was his bright smile and a big bear hug to turn your day around.

Matt was naturally gifted as an athlete and runner. Many summers on vacation in Rhode Island, he’d hang out on the beach in the morning and decide to run the Blessing of the Fleet 10 mile race that afternoon. No training, no practice, he’d just put his tennis shoes on and ask for someone to pick him up at the finish. He loved hockey, playing from the time he was little into his 50s. He was a phenomenal skier. His daughter Phoebe’s competitive skiing made him beam with pride.

He graduated from Western State college with a degree in business, and made a home in Colorado from then on. He worked for the forest service, and finally for the Town of Crested Butte as a mechanic. In between, he worked on the Lady Lynn, a fishing boat in New England. He would tell stories of how the boat’s engine would catch fire out at sea and barely make it back to port. They’d somehow fix it up, and get back out there. He was a master at patching things up.

The greatest loves of his life were his two children. Fatherhood was his highest achievement in life, and he would be quick to tell you that. The love and awe he felt for them was immense and unconditional. His face lit up with joy as he would recount every minute detail of their adventures. Nothing was more important to him than to provide all he could for them.

You lived a big life, big shifter. You gave so openly and unaffectedly. We take comfort knowing that your loving soul is free.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held for Matthew on Friday, July 18, 2025 at 10 AM in St. Mary Star of the Sea Church, 864 Point Judith Rd, Narragansett. Burial will be private. Calling hours will be Thursday, July 17th, 2025 from 4 to 7 PM in the Avery-Storti Funeral Home, 88 Columbia St., Wakefield.