With broken hearts, we give our beloved baby boy to the Lord. Matthew P. "Matt" Ciecko, 28, of North Utica, passed away unexpectedly on Monday, November 28, 2016. He was born June 7, 1988, in New Hartford, the son of Carl and Colleen McCarthy Ciecko. Matt was a graduate of Proctor High School, where he excelled in baseball, football, and track. He continued his education at MVCC, received his Bachelor's degree from SUNY Oswego and his Master's degree in Special Education from Grand Canyon University. Matt was a school teacher with the Syracuse City School District. Matt was a very kind and genuine guy, and was instantly loved by everyone he met. He was a loving son, brother and uncle and a devoted friend. Matt was also an avid Buffalo Bills, NY Yankees and Syracuse Orange fan. He is survived by his parents, Carl and Colleen of North Utica; his brother, Ryan (Claire) Ciecko and their son, Theodore "Teddy" of London, England; his grandfather, Ed McCarthy of Utica; aunts and uncles, Jill (Dan) Reynolds of Utica, Sandy McCarthy of Utica, Eddie McCarthy of Albany and Greg (JoAnn) Ciecko of Oriskany; cousins, Shane McCarthy, Meghan Reynolds, Joanna (Stephen) Haberle, Alicia Ciecko and Melissa (Kris) Ciecko-Douglas; many friends, especially Eddie, Phil, Matt, Vlad, Keith and Kyle; and a large extended family. He is now in the arms of his loving grandparents, Jean McCarthy and Eleanor and Ted Ciecko and one of his best friends, Andrew, who predeceased him. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday at 10 am at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Utica. Interment will be in Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Whitesboro. Calling hours are Friday from 4-7 pm at the Bentz Funeral Service, Inc., 13 Oxford Road, New Hartford. In lieu of flowers, kindly consider donations to the Beacon Center in Utica or Tully Hill in Tully to contribute to the fight against addiction.