“A great dad. He was always there for his kids 150 percent whatever they needed,” Lisa Matsuno said of her husband Brent.
Brent Matsuno died of COVID complications in Florida on Aug. 12. He was visiting Florida with his family for a national girls’ softball tournament. His daughter plays for the Batbusters.
A GoFundMe page established for the family has raised more than $66,000 as of Monday.
The fundraiser will help with transferring Matsuno home to California, funeral, burial, and associated expenses.
The Matsunos are still in Florida and expect to return later in the week, after settling affairs. It has been an unspeakably tragic and difficult circumstance. Mother-in-law Diane Matsuno has traveled to help.
Lisa said they arrived on July 22 and he became ill on July 26.
“The thing is we’re very careful, we didn’t go anywhere prior to the tournament, wanted to avoid crowds, all wearing our masks,” she said.
Lisa said her husband was very outgoing.
“He had the gift of gab. Everywhere we went, he created a friend,” Lisa said. “He could talk to anyone. It’s showing in the amount of love and support we have gotten through this journey.”
Matsuno was a photographer who worked with clients including Toyota and Whole Foods. He also used his creative skills to help the softball community.
Morgan Stuart of Softball Performance Workshop posted a photo of Matsuno at work. The training facility helps girls become better softball players and Matsuno often helped take photos and videos.
Stuart posted on Instagram: “He never said no. He always had candy in his pockets. All he wanted was to give his kids every opportunity he could.”
The GoFundMe page is at www.gofundme.com/f/k2dv6j-brent-matsuno-family-support