It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Matthew Richard Kase on November 16, 2024, at the age of twenty-one. Matt was born on December 21, 2002, in Winter Haven, Florida. He lived in Lithia, Florida his entire life with his loving parents, Michelle and Rich, and sister, Nicole. He also had two loving dogs, Cuddles and Cato, who adored and loved him.

Matt attended St. Stephen School, Randall Middle School, and Newsome High School. He was a senior at the University of Florida working toward his Bachelor of Science in Applied Biology and a member of the Delta Upsilon Fraternity. Through his youth Matthew played soccer, flag football and baseball. In high school he ran cross country and was a member of the JROTC Raiders team.

Matt's real passion though was God's creatures of both the land and the sea. Besides his precious pups, Matt maintained as many as 9 fish tanks and terrariums and built his own backyard fishpond at the age of twelve. He also would volunteer at Rescue Cats of Florida as well as providing foster care for kittens. Family vacations were frequently geared towards Matt's love of wildlife. His absolute favorites were Costa Rica and Sailing in the Virgin Islands. Most recently he spent part of the summer in Thailand and Indonesia performing field research on aquatic species for the University of Florida. While there he presented at an International Conference and won an award for best presentation out of thirty-two fellow competitors. Prior to his passing he began looking into working for the Florida Wildlife Commission in the hope of performing more field research.

Besides his Mother, Father and Sister, Matt is survived by Grandparents Bob and Linda Iseley, and George and Faith Kase; Uncles and Aunts, Dave, Michelle, Lisa, Paul, Chris, Dana, Bob and Hope; Cousins; Hannah, Steven, Jenny, Andrew, Katherine, Megan, Sarah, Evan, Christine, Emily, Bobby and Dylan; Great Aunts Eileen, Louise, Mary, and Evelyn; Great Uncle Roland; and other extended family and friends.

A visitation will be held at Serenity Meadows Funeral Home, located at 6919 Providence Rd, Riverview, FL on Friday, November 22, 2024, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM and his funeral mass will take place on November 23, 2024, at 10:30 AM at St. Stephen Catholic Church, located at 10118 St. Stephen Circle, Riverview, FL. Immediately following there will be a burial at Serenity Meadows and a reception at Matt's home in Lithia. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Florida Aquarium in Tampa.