Obituary of Matthew Joseph Wozniak

One of Matt's favorite Woody Allen quotes was something to the effect that he didn't wish to obtain immortality through his work, but rather by not dying. The goal of this obituary is to serve notice that he has in fact obtained a measure of immortality far beyond which we can ever fully know, although not in his stated preferred manner… Matthew Joseph Wozniak Jr., aka Doc Woz, was born and raised in Hammond, IN where he attended George Rogers Clark H.S. He graduated near the top of his class, was the captain of the football team, and elected student body president. His H.S. yearbook was filled with words of encouragement, admiration and a genuine desire to remain in touch. While these sentiments are a cliché for most, this wasn't the case for Matt. He indeed stayed in contact as evidenced by the volume of thoughtful cards sent by his former classmates upon learning of the downturn in his health. Following high school, he attended Dartmouth College where he majored in nuclear Physics (and rock-n-roll, dancing, and of course - bowling). He loved telling about the time his college dean summoned him into his office to discuss one of his winning bowling performances, which was reported in the local newspaper. Coincidentally, the winning performance occurred when he was supposed to be in the lab (triggering the dean's interest). He would laugh and boast how he was on a first name basis with said dean. No stroll down the Dartmouth memory lane was ever complete without a mention that it was a fraternity brother who co-wrote the movie Animal House. He thought it was a fair portrayal of his college days. The summer after graduating from Dartmouth, while 'working' a summer job on a Lake Michigan beach, he met a beautiful young women name Lois Ann Dugdale and made the best decision of his life when he proposed to her a few weeks later. They soon married and left for the University of Arizona where he was enrolled to pursue his PhD. This was just the beginning of a life of adventures that lasted for the next 55+ years. Within a year of arriving in Tucson, Matt and Lois welcomed their first child Elaine. His official university ID was a picture of him holding his new precious daughter who would also become an incredible teacher. Sons Matt III and Lance followed soon thereafter. The kids spent their early childhood years hanging around a nuclear reactor and playing with computers before there were any. Looking back on those times, many thought it was crazy, but through sacrifice and teamwork Matt and Lois made it work. In describing exactly how broke they were, he loved telling the story about when he had to borrow a dime so he could phone his wife to let her know he would be home late. Only after finding someone to loan him a dime, did it occur to him that they didn't own a phone. This story always made us laugh. Early in his post-doctoral work, he recognized that teaching and helping others was his true passion and the career he'd pursue. Nearly everyone has a job, many have a career and a lucky few manage to earn a living doing what they genuinely love. At the ripe age of 28, and surely to the delight of his wife, he landed the first of his only two jobs, teaching physics. He taught at Scottsdale Community College for over 10 years before moving to nearby Mesa Community College, where he worked until his full-time retirement in 2004. During his 34-year career in the field he loved, he was the Principal Investigator of three National Science Foundation grants, significantly changing the physics department for two colleges. Matt's strengths and passion centered on a desire to help people achieve their best, regardless of what they choose to purse. And as an educator, daily exercise of his strengths gave him true joie de vivre which was readily apparent to his students and peers alike. His students were often adults supporting themselves in addition to the rigors of what was the beginning of an engineering career. He identified with these students and made every effort to help them succeed. He received numerous letters, often years later, from students thanking him for being an inspirational teacher and helping them get to where they are today. His sons, who are engineers and live in Arizona, have met and worked with several of his former students over the years. Unequivocally, they've expressed nothing but kind words and an appreciation of his abilities, with many declaring him to be the best teacher they ever had. It's said that friends are a mirror of one's character; this was true for Matt. Whether it was high school classmates, college friends, professional colleagues, or golf buddies, he attracted people of the highest integrity and character with whom he remained closely connected throughout life's seasons. All were sources of strength and enriched both his life and that of his family in innumerable ways. All will remain dear friends, while many will forever be family. Matt is survived by his wife Lois, their kids Elaine Israel, Matt & Lance; spouses Steven Israel, Kathy Wozniak & Heather Wozniak; grandchildren Erin, Zack & Ieuan Israel and Jessica and Holly Wozniak; his brothers and sister-in-law, Jerome and Dan & Jay Wozniak, and several nieces and nephews. While this is a tough period, we're so fortunate for the time we had. He passed peacefully at his home in Tucson, Arizona surrounded by friends and family after losing a noble battle against Frontal Temporal Lobe Dementia and Lou Gehrig's Disease. While he is no longer with us, our positive memories will live on forever in our hearts.