Matthew David Sanderson was born in Wichita Falls, Texas to David and Donna Sanderson on November 18, 1978. He grew up in Abilene and Keller, TX. He graduated from Keller High School in 1997, completed a Bachelor of Science from Abilene Christian University in 2001, and earned a Doctorate of Chemistry from Dartmouth College in 2015.

Matthew had a lively and curious mind and loved teaching. He taught middle school and high school students at Brentwood Christian School in Austin, Texas, tutored university students in Chemistry during his graduate studies at the University of Texas, and taught as a visiting professor at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee after graduating from Dartmouth.

Matthew was a lifelong learner with a variety of interests from Rust programming to Japanese language to chess and was an enthusiastic conversation partner. He was a beloved son, brother and friend whose kind and generous spirit will be sorely missed by those who loved him.

He is preceded in death by his grandparents, Lorme and Inez Mickey and Roy and Minnie Ola Sanderson.

He is survived by his parents, David and Donna Sanderson, brother, John Sanderson, sister, Kayla Sanderson, and a loving family of aunts, uncles, and cousins.