Matthew David Luna, 29, of Redmond, Washington, passed away March 14, 2014 at his home in Redmond.
Born in Redmond on December 10, 1984 to Linda and Sergio Luna, Matthew was the fifth of six children. He had four older siblings: Daniel, Amber, Sergio, and Joshua; and one younger sister, Sabrina. He graduated from Lake Washington High School in 2003.
Early on, Matthew had an active lifestyle. Following the family tradition, he started with gymnastics, training alongside his brothers. He soon branched out to other sports though, first playing soccer and later joining the Rose Hill Junior High football team. He cherished the memory of making a touchdown and then being flattened by his teammates in the ensuing celebration. High school brought an intense interest in snowboarding. Every winter weekend, Matthew would be chomping at the bit to get up to the slopes and ride, eager to try the next big jump and see how high he could flip this time. Later, he enjoyed camping and hiking with friends and family.
Matthew’s interest in fitness and activity melded into his work life, as well. First in roofing and construction, he then worked at several different gyms, doing everything from managing the front desk, to odd jobs, to fitness equipment maintenance; giving him the opportunity to keep up his exercise regimen, always encouraging and inspiring others to keep fit and healthy at the same time. His greater vocational interest however, was welding. Sparked by an auto body class in high school, welding became a creative hobby for him that he hoped to turn into a career.
A favorite hobby of Matthew’s was off-road four-wheeling. His prized possession was his 2006 Chevy Colorado custom-lifted truck. He and his brother 
Josh would head to Eastern Washington for fun weekends of off-roading and rock crawling.
In terms of creative pursuits, Matthew got the musical talent in the family. He enjoyed playing guitar, composing his own music, and creative songwriting. After high school, he even played in a band with some friends for a time. Of all his siblings, Matthew was the one who wouldn’t hesitate to jump up and sing karaoke when given the chance. The many poems he wrote were another form of his creative passion.
Matthew truly loved his family and treasured the time he spent with them. He valued the importance of family functions, and he was always willing to drop everything to help the family – with moving, rides to the airport, house projects… anything. To his nieces and nephews, he was a funny, entertaining, and caring uncle; taking them to the park to play, shooting pool with them in the garage, giving piggy-back rides. They had fun shooting arrows at cardboard targets in the backyard, loved swimming and playing in the pool together, and he could always get them to laugh hysterically with his perfect Donald Duck
voice.
To mark his passing, family and close friends will hold a Celebration of Life gathering at his sister Amber’s home in Renton, Washington on March 22, 2014. At a later date, the family will gather to spread Matthew’s ashes in the places he loved.
Devoted, compassionate, active… and young. He will be missed.