Matthew Reed Bonifay, Jr., 35, of Pensacola, FL passed away the day after Christmas, December 26, 2018.

Matthew was born on May 25, 1983 to Reed and Dee-Dee Bonifay and he had a love for the water that runs deep in the Bonifay family. He was an adrenaline junkie who loved the outdoors, water skiing, bare-footing, snowboarding or jumping out airplanes, just for fun. After high school, Matthew left with his cousin to drive across country and ended up in Colorado for a few years. When Hurricane Ivan hit, Matthew moved back to Pensacola to rebuild docks with his Dad. In April of 2009 Matthew decided to chase his dream of being a boat captain and took a job with Blessey Marine where he quickly moved up the ranks to become a Captain by the age of 30. He loved his job and made lots of lifelong friends while on the water. In August of 2015, Matthew's son, Kade Reed Bonifay, was born and he was the light of his life, along with his nephew, Lucas. Matthew came home in June to spend more time with his son and immediately started working with his dad at WDR. He never met a stranger and he had a way of making people smile, laugh and forget about everything else. Matthew lived more in 35 years than most people do in a lifetime. He will be missed by countless family members and friends.

Matthew is preceded in death by his grandparents, Harry & Margaret Bonifay and Michael and Dolores Maguire; as well as his aunt, Judy Bonifay.

He is survived by his parents, Reed & Dee-Dee Bonifay; his sister, Anya Bonifay Parkhurst (Bob); his nephew, Lucas Reed Parkhurst; as well as his son, Kade Reed Bonifay (Mandy Kirk)

Memorial Mass will be celebrated 3:00pm Friday, January 4, 2019 at St. Paul Catholic Church with Fr. Jack Campbell celebrant. A reception will follow the service in the St. Paul Catholic Church, Geri Room.

We would like to give a special thanks to the nurses and staff in the ICU at Sacred Heart Hospital.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: The Matthew Bonifay Memorial Fund on GoFundMe.com. There is also a link located on Matthew's Prayer Warrior page on Facebook. Checks can also be made payable to Dianne Bonifay and mailed to 539 Royce St. Pensacola, FL 32503. All funds will be used to open an education fund for Matthew's son, Kade.