Malibu resident Matthew Awbrey, 20, died Friday, Oct. 27, at his Malibu home. He attended elementary school through high school in Malibu. He graduated from Malibu High School in 2015.
He attended Leeward College for two years in Pearl City, Hawaii. The school overlooks Pearl Harbor and you can see the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial from the campus.
“Matthew was the love of our lives, always brandishing a bright, eager smile and always full of energy that lit up the room,” a loved one wrote. “He knew that we loved him unconditionally.”
He loved surfing and was a member of the varsity surf team at MHS for four years. After high school, he moved to Hawaii and lived his dream of surfing Waimea Bay and Pipeline. He was a surf instructor at Makos Surf Camp at Zuma Beach and also worked at Vintage Grocers.
He was on the MHS water polo and swim teams. He tried out for the county lifeguards in his senior year and finished the swim contest in sixth place among 40 contestants.
He showed an entrepreneurial flair at age 11 when he started his candy business while attending Malibu Middle School. He expanded the business to Pepperdine University and it became a $1,500-per-month operation. The Pepperdine Police finally shut down his operation.
He was on the MHS golf team and a member of Braemar Country Club. He was named to second team All-League for Golf in his junior year. Matthew and his dad loved playing golf together.
At the end of high school, he summited Mount Gannet, the highest peak at Wind River Range, Wy. at 13,809 feet during his backpacking adventure, which involved a mountaineering approach through glaciers, rain, sleet, snow, lightning, wind and freezing temperatures, for 40 days and 40 nights.
He loved fishing and caught lobster and halibut off the local Malibu coast. In Alaska, he caught lots of halibut off Homer and Salmon near Valdez, Ala.
“We loved Matthew with all our hearts and souls. May he rest in peace,” a loved one said. “Please pray for Matthew and the rest of our family as we cope with this monumental loss.”
Services will be this Sunday, Nov. 5 at 4 p.m. at Malibu Presbyterian Church. In lieu of flowers, please donate to California Wildlife Center and the Aurelia Foundation.