Matthew P. Reames

Matthew P. Reames, age 64, died in Madison, Wisconsin on December 18, 2025.

Matt was born on July 4, 1961, in Carpinteria, California, the first son of Mark and Ruth (Nelson) Reames. He spent most of his childhood and youth in Japan, living in the city of Nishinomiya, and graduated from Marist Brothers International School in Kobe in 1979. He earned his B.A. at Grinnell College and M.A. at University of Wisconsin Madison.

Matt’s first job after Grinnell used his Japanese language skills at Calsonic, an automotive manufacturing plant in Tennessee. Matt loved books and libraries and later moved to Madison to attend library school. He especially loved to introduce children to worlds accessible through reading. He worked as a reference librarian in a UW-Madison medical school library and in other libraries, sometimes without pay.

Throughout his life Matt made friends, staying connected with almost everyone he met. He would meet with people to pray and study the Bible, and he also participated in efforts to bring people from diverse Christian ministries in Madison together for prayer. He traveled, often by rail and bus, to visit long-time friends, family, and relatives, keeping in touch by mail, phone, and text messaging. He loved nature and animals, showing particular interest in flowers, birds, and insects. His lifelong struggle with mental health often interrupted his activities, however, and prevented him from achieving some of his objectives, including serving abroad as a missionary. Instead, he ministered to people in Madison when he could and sometimes attended High Point Church and later Blackhawk Church.

Matt is survived by his brother, Seth, and sister-in-law, Yuka; Seth’s children Kotaro and Momoko; his aunt Sherry; and his cousins Kent and Martin and their families. He will also be greatly missed by many long-time friends and classmates from his school and college years.

A memorial service for Matt will be held just outside of Madison at the Brader Way location of Blackhawk Church (9620 Brader Way, Middleton, WI 53562) on Saturday, March 14th starting at 1 pm (Central time) with reception afterward.

Please share your memories at www.cressfuneralservice.com

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