Already have an account? Sign in

Sign Up

Sign up for our FREE newsletter today and have the latest stories from the Evanston RoundTable delivered directly to your inbox.

OR

By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Conditions.

Thank you for registering!

An account was already registered with this email.
Please check your inbox for an authentication link.

Become a member today!

For over 20 years, the Evanston RoundTable has met the needs of our city through its award-winning journalism. Help us build a sustainable nonprofit source of trustworthy journalism for our community - become a member today!

$
$
$

Your contribution is appreciated.

Sign up for our free newsletter and have the latest stories from the Evanston RoundTable delivered directly to your inbox.

  • Sign In
  • CITY NEWS
  • SCHOOLS
  • ART & LIFE
  • PUBLIC SQUARE
  • SPORTS
  • BUSINESS
  • CALENDAR
  • PHOTOS
  • GET THE NEWSLETTER
  • DONATE NOW!
  • About us
  • Advisory Committee
  • Donate
  • Advertise
  • Join the RoundTable team
  • Evanston History
  • Reparations
  • Evanston Rules
  • Read us on your mobile device
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • RSS
Skip to content
Evanston RoundTable

Evanston RoundTable

Evanston's community newspaper since 1998

Sign In
Posted inObituaries

Matthew Jordan Bussey

by Submitted March 14th, 2021June 4th, 2021

Share this:

Sign up for our free newsletter to have Evanston news delivered directly to your inbox every weekday!


Matthew Jordan Bussey was born at Evanston Hospital on January 7, 2002. He left this world on March 7, 2021 surrounded by loving family members at Loyola Medical Center in Maywood, Ill.

Matt leaves behind his grieving family: his parents, Brian Bussey and Victoria Braucher Bussey of Evanston, Ill.; his grandmother, Virginia Ford Braucher of Willowbrook, Illinois; his grandparents, Ronald and Linda Bussey of Traverse City, Michigan; his aunts and uncles, Steven Braucher, Elizabeth (Kenneth) Benjamin, Carolyn (Taylor) Atkins, Kevin (Pamela) Horan Bussey, Scott Bussey, Eric (Erin) Bussey and Thomas Scheele; his cousins, Ian, Heather, Jessica, Esther, Genevieve, Steven, Anna, Jessica, Nicholas, Luke, Riley, Jade, Isaac, and Genevieve; and his beloved dog, Rowdy. He was preceded in death by his grandfather Daniel Braucher and his uncle Paul Braucher.

Matt grew up among a doting extended family that included second cousins and step cousins and great aunts and uncles. He attended Cherry Preschool, Dewey Elementary School, Nichols Middle School, Baker Demonstration School, and Evanston Township High School in Evanston, Ill. Matt made friends every step along the way. He struggled in school due to dyslexia and would always say his favorite subjects were “lunch and gym.” In third grade he wrote a story called “The Chocolate Story” that was performed by two acting companies, Northwestern’s Griffin’s Tale and Evanston’s Mudlark Theater. He played basketball in Evanston’s FAAM and YMCA leagues. In high school, he filmed a James Bond spoof with three of his friends.

Matt was diagnosed with Medulloblastoma in January of 2020, three weeks after his 18th birthday and two weeks after learning he had been accepted to his top choice of schools, University of Colorado at Boulder. He went through harsh treatments with a steadfast focus on living his life as normally as possible.

During his illness he went on camping trips, played basketball with friends, hiked and walked his dog with friends and family, and spent as much time with all the people he loved as COVID-19 restrictions would allow. He loved with a wide open and generous heart, accepting and inclusive and nonjudgmental, and his friends spoke of his kindness and loyalty through thick and thin.

Matt was exuberant and playful, creative and funny. When he was younger he enjoyed doing theater. As a young man he was interested in filmmaking.

Before his illness, Matt was an expert skier and went on many ski trips with his father and friends. His favorite ski venues were Snowbird in Utah, Breckenridge in Colorado, and Mount Bohemia in Upper Peninsula Michigan.

Throughout his life, he loved the outdoors and went on numerous camping and backpacking trips and attended the YMCA camps of Camp Echo and Hayowentha.  Over many summers, he participated in an ongoing archeology project in Beaver Island, Mich., with his father and his great aunt, Terri Bussey. He loved to play basketball and Frisbee with friends as well as board games and video games. He also enjoyed skateboarding, mountain biking and paddle-boarding, and he was a member of the ETHS Sailing Team at Sheridan Shores in Wilmette.

On the morning of Feb. 22, 2021, Matt was in a car accident and sustained serious injuries. He was taken to Loyola Medical Center. For two weeks his family and the dedicated doctors and nurses at Loyola watched over him. Many of his lifelong friends as well as his more recent friends called him and sent messages to him at the hospital to tell him goodbye.

He left us very peacefully to be with God on March 7, 2021, surrounded by his loving family. Matt’s friends created a memorial to him on Dempster Street Beach in Evanston – a heart around his name made of rocks, stones and twigs. 

Become a member of the Roundtable!

Did you know that the Evanston RoundTable is a nonprofit newsroom? Become a member today to support community journalism!

$
$
$

Your contribution is tax-deductible. We appreciate your support!

Latest News

  • Update: CTA lines back after power loss and evacuation on Yellow Line – cause unknown January 27th, 2023
  • Latest news from Evanston: Your Friday daily digest January 27th, 2023
  • Born into Evanston basketball, Zuri Ransom is now a star of it January 26th, 2023
  • Rats, safety dominate Eighth Ward community meeting January 26th, 2023
  • The story behind Evanston’s ‘Stitch’ January 26th, 2023

Trending

  • Rent hikes displacing tenants in city's southeast section
  • Police: After armed altercation, second incident on Crawford was case of mistaken identity
  • Metal detectors, academic gaps, teacher morale: Q&A with ETHS Superintendent Marcus Campbell
  • The story behind Evanston's 'Stitch'
  • Evanston police get major pay boost under new contracts 
  • Second ward weighs Ryan Field and redistricting
  • D65 plans community meetings for Fifth Ward school project
  • Born into Evanston basketball, Zuri Ransom is now a star of it
  • Harley Clarke mansion lease ‘built on quicksand’
  • Understanding Evanston's achievement gap: Study finds money-mind connection
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • RSS
  • Home
  • City News
  • Schools
  • Art & Life
  • Public Square
  • Sports
  • Community Calendar
  • Reports & Analyses
  • Obituaries
  • Submit an obituary
  • Podcasts and video
  • Reparations
  • Evanston History
  • Our mission
  • About us
  • Board of Directors
  • Advisory Committee
  • Diversity, equity and inclusion
  • Become a member
  • Get the newsletter
  • Read us on your mobile device
  • Submit a letter to the editor
  • Advertise with us
  • Contact us
  • Evanston RoundTable privacy notice

The Evanston RoundTable is the community’s leading source of news about local government, schools, civic and artistic activities, and other important issues facing our city. We seek to foster civic engagement and empower people to address complex issues facing our diverse community, promoting a better understanding and appreciation of people of all races, ethnicities, and income levels.

Evanston Roundtable
1514 Elmwood Avenue
Suite 2
Evanston, Illinois 60201
847.864.7741

© 2023 Evanston RoundTable Media NFP. Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic Evanston RoundTable privacy notice
I don't have an account I already have an account

Sign In

We've recently sent you an authentication link. Please, check your inbox!

Sign in with a password below, or sign in using your email.

Get a code sent to your email to sign in, or sign in using a password.

Enter the code you received via email to sign in, or sign in using a password.

Sign in with your email

Lost your password?

Try a different email

Send another code

Sign in with a password

OR

By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Conditions.