Matthew T. Payton

Matthew T. Payton, 55, passed away unexpectedly at home April 22, 2021, of natural causes.
Born May 25, 1965, he was the son of the late Robert and Joyce (Eagles) Payton. He was also preceded in death by a step-brother, Patrick Payton.
On June 25, 1988, Matt married the love of his life, Karen Hosinski. She survives him, as do their four children: Amanda (Collin) Cavanaugh of Warren, MI, Daniel Payton of South Bend, Jane (Joseph Mainda) Payton of Kalamazoo, MI and David Payton of Granger. He is also survived by two sisters, Rebekah Lewis of Texas, and Victoria Payton of Georgia; brother, Peter Payton of Chicago; and two stepbrothers, Dan Payton of Colorado and Jeffrey Payton of Florida. Matt was very excited about his first grandson, due in July. Matt is also survived by his brothers and sisters-in-laws, known to him as the outlaws, and a legion of nieces and nephews, who very affectionately called him Uncle Grumpy.
Matt was born in Warren, MI, but called South Bend his home. He attended Holy Cross School and LaSalle High School (1983). In High School, Matt was part of the We Together Singers. Matt graduated with a degree in Mathematics and Physics from IUSB in 1989, and his MBA in 1995. Matt, known to his fraternity brothers as “Fraggle”, was the President of the Sigma Pi Fraternity at IUSB, which he fondly talked about as a huge part of his life. Matt was most recently employed with Siemens as a Master Scheduler in Health Care.
Matt never knew a stranger, and his personality was larger than life. He had an amazing ability to make everyone laugh and feel like an old friend. If you met Matt once, he remembered you for life. He loved golf, and never turned down an opportunity to play a round with his good friends. He loved to host his friends, neighbors, family, and sometimes random strangers at his epic New Years Eve parties.
Matt loved music of every kind and was especially passionate about the band RUSH. In 1986, he met his wife Karen while performing as Stew Pot in the musical South Pacific. Together they continued to be involved in musical theater, performing and working on the video crew with many different theater companies. He liked to use his creative talents to video shows, baseball games, school plays, his sons wrestling matches, band concerts and his daughters vocal performances. He was known as the “video ninja” by the Penn Marching Band for his ability to sneak video cameras into competitions where no videos were “allowed”. He loved to sing, especially karaoke, with his family and friends. Matt’s song may have ended, but his melody lingers on.
Visitation will be held Tuesday, April 27, from 4:00-7:00 p.m. with a vigil service at 4:00 p.m., at the McGann Hay Granger Chapel, 13260 SR 23, enter off Cherry Rd. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday at 11:00 a.m., with visitation one-hour prior, at St. Pius X Catholic Church. Burial will follow at Fairview Cemetery. The funeral will be live-streamed at StPius.net and facebook.com/StPiusGranger
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Christ Child Society. To send private condolences, please visit www.McGannHay.com