Matthew Odell Tankersley

Matt was born on August 14, 1953, in Hot Springs, Arkansas, to Odell and Dorothy Tankersley. He was a beloved and devoted husband to his wife of 49 years, Kathy; beloved dad to three daughters, Katie, Lisa, Emily. He was also a cherished father-in-law to Brady Holt and Kevin Criswell and legendary Papa to two grandchildren, Kayla and Austin, and one beloved granddog, Cali. He is survived by his mother, Dottie, his two brothers, Cliff and Mike Moore, and his two sisters, Ladelle Diniakos and Melodee Tankersley.

Matt loved fine dining, and he loved a dive. He bought too many pastries, which was just the right amount of pastries. He was the kind of golfer who would spontaneously drive you six hours in one day to play his favorite coastal course with you. He was a cultivator of family tradition, a curator of magic and nostalgia. His photography and thoughtful questions revealed a deep well of empathy, a keen eye for relishing the beauty of the world and the people he loved. He was a lover of travel, theology, and philosophy, and he wrote silly songs to make his grandchildren laugh. If you ever spent time with Matt, you were laughing. He could sit in a circle of beloveds for hours, swapping stories and breaking into song, often accompanied by one of his oldest friends, his cherished guitar Blondie. His slideshows and whale impressions were the stuff of family legend. He will be loved and missed forever.

One beautiful part of Matt's story we especially want to honor is the faith that shaped his life.

Long before he was known as the teller of stories, singer of silly songs, lover of golf, pastries, and adventure, he was a man captured by the love of Jesus.

Raised in the Nazarene church, shaped by the hope of the gospel, part of the Jesus movement generation, a chapel worship leader at Point Loma Nazarene University, and a lifelong lover of song and spiritual things-his faith was not a side note in his life, but its foundation.

In his final weeks, he expressed a deep desire that the cross and the work of Jesus be central in his memorial.

We are grateful to honor that wish.

If you knew Matt, you likely felt both his joy and the grace that sustained it...

...his laughter was rooted in joy

...his empathy was rooted in the example of Christ

...his nostalgia was rooted in hope!

For all of this, we praise God!!

Matt's life will be celebrated with a gathering of friends and family on May 15, 2026 at Crossroads Grace Community Church in Manteca, California. For more details and to RSVP to his celebration of life, you can visit EVITE. If you are reading this and you loved Matt or his girls, you are invited.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Lymphoma Research Foundation at https://lymphoma.org/.