Matthew Raymond Huey

Matthew Raymond Huey, aged 61, died on March 20th, 2023, after a heroic, years-long fight with cancer.

Matt, as we all called him, was born on September 28th, 1961, grew up in Culver City and graduated from St. Bernard High School. A lifelong athlete, Matt was the quarterback for his high school and junior college football teams and played every other sport under the sun including baseball, roller hockey, tennis, skiing, and more. He even became an accomplished bowler in the Mar Vista Bowl leagues. At the age of 19, he married his sweetheart, Susan, and went on to have three beautiful children. As Susan says, “Matt lived in capital letters,” meaning he packed more vibrant life into his days than anyone we know.

Matt went on to study Economics at Cal State Northridge and then receive a law degree from Southwestern College before becoming a public defender for the County of Los Angeles. Matt was a deputy public defender for his entire legal career. During his 35-year career, he worked in nearly every courthouse in Los Angeles. He was loved and admired by his colleagues, never turning down a request for advice or assistance. He tried the most complicated and difficult cases with passion and expertise. Judges liked and respected him. Juries responded to his ability to talk directly to them. His clients adored him because he worked hard and exhibited excellence. Matt never bragged about his accomplishments, nor did he ever tout his immense talent. But he was proud of the job he did for his clients and for the criminal justice system. Matt knew that being a public defender would not bring him fame and fortune. He didn’t care. His goal was to help his clients and colleagues. As difficult as many of his cases were, he was always heard in the hallways of a courthouse or the PD’s office laughing, talking, and . . . living. His retirement earlier this year was supposed to be a transition from his public defender duties to a lighter load of select cases. He also was looking forward to travel, golf, tennis, relaxation, and spending time with his wonderful family. We are all saddened that he was unable to enjoy any of his retirement.

The many, many people mourning the loss of Matt reflect on his presence with the same words over and over: force of nature, larger than life, charismatic, generous, brilliant, hilarious. He was a captivating storyteller, always life of the party, and a true friend. He was a devoted and engaged father, and the recent light of his life was becoming a grandpa. His positivity, strength, bravery, guts, and ability to light up every room he walked into make it particularly impossible to accept he could truly be gone. For those lucky enough to know Matt, his legacy will always reverberate loudly within us. For those that didn’t know Matt, just know you would have loved him. Everyone did.

He is survived by his wife Susan Kamm-Huey and children Natasha Huey (Gabriel Cortez), Rebecca Bond (Kurt Bond), and Vincent Huey (Alicia Sloss) and grandchild, Archer Bond. He is also survived by his siblings Lee (Isabel) Huey, Ed (Stacey) Huey, and Deborah Huey.