Matt's Life

      Matt began his life on Friday, October 27th, 1961, at 8:30 in the evening in Milford, Massachusetts. He was the son of two loving parents, Robert Hefferman and Marlene (Haskell) Hefferman, and brother to Elizabeth (Hefferman) Ooi and Nathanial Hefferman. Fishing the Saint Lawrence, sleeping under the endless skies of the Midwest, and sailing down the Rhine were all moments Matt shared with his tight-knit family.

     Matt spent much of his childhood in Bellingham, MA, attending Bellingham High School as a member of the class of 1979. Here, Matt’s quick wit, intelligence, and drive began to shine—he was vice president of the Drama Club; a member of the Chess Club, Math Club, German Club, and Student Leadership Advisory Council; and inducted into the National Honor Society.

       Whether playing street hockey in the driveway of his childhood home on Hartford Avenue with a set of home-made goalie pads or ferreting-out who exactly hid an uneaten cheeseburger under his mattress, Matt spent his childhood surrounded by a growing group of friends. One friend in particular, who he first met while working at Sheldonville Nursing Home in Wrentham, MA, would go on to spend the next 32 years by his side—his loving and devoted wife, Elizabeth (Barrette) Hefferman.

      Matt and Liz were married in the chapel of Dean College on August 18th, 1984. As the years went on, the bond that Matt and Liz shared formed the foundation of a loving family with three sons: Gerry, Scott, and Patrick. Whether warming his hands with a cup of hot chocolate at one of countless hockey rinks or teaching his boys to put on their ties for their first day of Catholic school, Matt relished the opportunity to shepherd his sons through childhood, helping them to become the men they are today.

      As his circle of friends grew, Matt honed his impressive intellect and talents, first as a student at the University of Rochester, where he earned a B.A. in Mathematics, then later at Boston University, earning an M.S. in Computer Science, and finally at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. For 30 years, Matt brought these skills to bear against the impressive technical challenges faced by the scientists and engineers of BBN Technologies, quietly helping to both defend our freedoms, and to build and implement the technical foundations of our modern, interconnected world.

     Loving son, devoted husband, proud father, valuable co-worker, treasured friend—these are the memories of Matt that each one of us shares. The qualities that made Matt such an exemplary man live on through the thoughts and actions of the many people lucky enough to have had Matt touch their lives.

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Matt's Obituary

      Hefferman, Matthew S., 54, passed away on Saturday, August 6, 2016 at Kent Hospital in Warwick, RI.  For 32 memorable years, he was the beloved husband of Elizabeth A. (Barrette) Hefferman of Warwick, RI. Born in Milford, MA, he was the son of Robert E. and Marlene R. (Haskell) Hefferman of Bellingham, MA.
 
      Besides his wife and parents, he is survived by three sons:  Gerald M. Hefferman and fiancée Elizabeth Tashash, Scott B. Hefferman and girlfriend Katherine Smith, and Patrick E. Hefferman and fiancée Rachel Ravelo; two siblings: sister Elizabeth H. Ooi and her husband Boon Ooi of Washington, D. C., and brother Nathaniel C. Hefferman and wife Bobbie Carlton of Lexington, MA; and a large, loving extended family.
 
      A Catholic Prayer Service with words of remembrance will take place at Carpenter-Jenks Funeral Home & Crematory, 659 East Greenwich Avenue, West Warwick, RI on Saturday, August 13 at 10:00 AM.  Calling hours will be Friday, August 12 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM.  Burial will be private.
 
     In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society at donate.lls.org. For more information, see carpenterjenks.com.