When Morristown Police Lt. Matt Rawding retired in 2024 after 27 years of service, his former boss wrote a letter ranking him among her top hires, citing his “personal integrity, work ethic and positive attitude.”
He treasured those words from former Police Chief Carol Williams, and that’s how others remembered him on Friday.
Rawding’s death was announced by Morristown PBA Local 43.
“It is with profound sadness and with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our fellow brother, Matthew David Rawding,” the PBA said.
Rawding, 64, served with the Morristown Bureau of Police from July 1997 until his retirement in December 2024.
Rawding suffered a massive heart attack on Sept. 12, 2026, and initially was treated at Morristown Medical Center.
According to a GoFundMe organized to help his family, he underwent multiple surgeries before transferring to Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City for a heart transplant.
The fundraiser described Rawding as fighting tenaciously to remain with his family, including his seven children. As of Friday, more than 600 donations had raised approximately $108,000 toward a $120,000 goal.
‘A COP’S COP’
DeAnna Dietrich, who retired from the police bureau in 2022, saw Rawding’s tenacity first-hand, when they were classmates at the Morris County Public Safety Training Academy.
Rawding, who had worked in the family’s roofing business, was in his late 30s — the oldest member in the class, barely making the age cutoff, and physically small in stature. Yet he was among the top recruits in athletic performance and near-perfect in marksmanship, Dietrich said.
“He was tough as nails…like a machine,” she said. When they were neighbors, she saw him do daily runs of eight or nine miles. For a time, Rawding patrolled the downtown on a bicycle. Later, he oversaw the detective division.
When Rawding made lieutenant, he was Dietrich’s supervisor. Her beat was the halls of Morristown High School. She wanted to start a Junior Police Academy for the students and needed support.
“He fought for that… he was a cop’s cop,” said Dietrich, now living in Florida. Her friend’s death was a bolt from the blue. “I’m really sad. I’m shocked,” she said.
Tyrone Jackson graduated from that same police academy class, and he retired from the Morristown police bureau as a detective sergeant in 2022. He remembered Rawding as a fitness enthusiast, a 4-handicap golfer who insisted on carrying his bag for 18 holes, and as a cop “who treated everyone with respect.”
Rawding referred to himself as everyone’s “little buddy,” and Jackson could pick him out of a crowd by his “bobblehead” stride. But on the beat, he punched above his weight — though he seldom had to, Jackson recalled.
“Matt knew how to handle himself. He did it properly. He used the right amount of force at all times to effectuate an arrest. He knew how to de-escalate,” how to calm down intoxicated bar patrons. “He was good at that,” said Jackson, who now does security work for the New York Giants and Verizon.
That sunny nature is what Jackson will miss most. “He always had a smile on his face. You know, every time I saw him, he’s like, ‘What’s up, buddy?’ And he was always smiling.”
‘THE FAMILY’S ROCK’
“His commitment, service, and contributions to our department and community will not be forgotten,” the PBA said, extending condolences to Rawding’s family, friends and colleagues.
The Morristown Department of Public Safety described Rawding as “a leader, mentor, and consummate family man.”
“Matt leaves behind legacy that will live on through the many lives he touched within the Morristown community, and the many officers he worked with throughout the years. We are keeping his family in our thoughts and prayers at this difficult time,” the department said in a statement.
Rawding was born in Orange, NJ, and spent his early years in Glen Ridge and then Park Ridge, IL, before his family moved to the Convent Station section of Morris Township, according to his obituary.
He attended kindergarten at the Normandy Park School, and his family settled into the Cromwell Hills section of the Township, where he played youth baseball, football and was on a swim team.
“During his time at the police department, he made lifelong friends and used his position in law enforcement to guide countless members of the community during some of their hardest times. Matt was always the person people would call if they needed help, advice, or wanted to talk,” states his obituary.
Mayor Tim Dougherty remembered Rawding and his wife Denise as neighbors who helped he and his wife Mary care for their son Ryan when he was young. Now grown, Ryan came to admire Rawding’s skill on the golf course, Dougherty said.
“It’s sad and heartbreaking,” and a reminder of life’s fragility, the mayor said of Rawding’s passing.
“He was an outstanding police officer, and his absence in this community and surrounding communities will be felt…Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”
Rawding is survived by his wife Denise (Henry); his seven children and spouses, Veronica and Tom, Matt Jr. and Amanda, Tommy and Katie, Teddy and Maddie, Elizabeth, Kathleen and Jacob, and Christina; grandchildren Isabella, Makenzie, Tommy, and Penelope; by his siblings and spouses, Jeff and Jeanne, Carole and Eileen, Artie, and Kenny; and by many nieces, nephews and cousins.
“Matt was the family’s rock,” his obituary says, “and he will be missed beyond what words can explain.”
Visitation will be Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, from 4 PM to 8 PM, at St. Thomas More Church, 4 Convent Road, Morris Township, 07960. A funeral Mass is scheduled for
Thursday, Oct. 1, at 10 AM at the same church, with burial to follow at Holy Rood Cemetery, 61 Whippany Road, Morris Township.
This story has been updated with comments from former police colleagues, biographical details, and funeral information.
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Matt was a genuinely great guy. I’ve known him and his wife Denise for many years. This is very sad and he will be missed by many, many people.
I feel like Lt. Matt Rawding was a great piece of the fabric of Morristown that now is gone. Someone I always felt glad to see. I
knew him professionally for a few decades and always liked to see him and encounter his positive outlook at town events. I feel very sad for his family and friends and that he died at a young age. As the mayor said, life is fragile. RIP Matt and may his family know he was well-loved.