Matthew John Zuanich died on June 15 in Everett, Wash., six weeks after the death of his wife, Katherine (Misich) Zuanich.

Matt was born in Bellingham, Wash., to Andrew V. Zuanich and Anna (Afric’) Zuanich, along with two brothers, John, and Andrew P. Zuanich.

Matt was a member of the Croatian commercial fishing fleet in his early years, carrying on a family tradition dating back hundreds of years.

A life-long member of the Knights of Columbus, he worked in the field of tele-communications in Everett and in Oak Harbor, Wash., where he was a member of the Oak Harbor School Board and active in the Chamber of Commerce.

The highlight of his life was becoming an ordained deacon in the Roman Catholic Church in 1978. During his time as a deacon, he performed hundreds of baptisms, marriages, and funeral services. A deeply spiritual man, Matt loved people, took them into his family, and touched many lives with his staunch faith, testimony to the transformative power of prayer, and his always perceptive humor.

Matt Zuanich was a “man of the people,” and loved in return.

He is survived by a daughter, Kathleen Young, and a granddaughter, Katharina Young, both of Bellingham.