Obituary published on Legacy.com by Wright & Salmon Mortuary – Peoria on Apr. 27, 2025.
Matthew Patrick Jones, age 59, of Edwards, Illinois, passed away peacefully on Saturday, April 26, 2025, in the garden of the Richard L. Owens Hospice Home in Peoria, following a valiant four-plus-year battle with glioblastoma multiforme. A courageous fighter in the courtroom and in life, Matt was born on September 30, 1965, in Pekin, Illinois.
Matt was a beloved husband, father, son, brother, and dedicated attorney whose career in public service will be remembered for his strength as a prosecutor, his trusted expertise in criminal policy, and his popularity as a law school professor. He will be forever remembered for his kindness, wit, generosity, and his exceptional ability to cultivate meaningful, bipartisan criminal justice reform. Matt believed deeply in the importance of ethics, collaboration, and compromise in state government.
He earned a sterling reputation in Springfield and on Capitol Hill for bridging political divides on critical issues, including juvenile justice reform, pretrial fairness, and violence against women and children. Matt developed and led trainings for new attorneys, mentored trial advocacy skills among Illinois prosecutors, advocated zealously on behalf of state’s attorneys, and championed justice for survivors of violent crime and domestic violence. A brilliant legal mind, Matt was respected and relied upon by members of the Illinois General Assembly, Congress, judges, peers across the country, and former clients alike.
Matt often said his wife and children were his greatest blessings. Love, laughter, resilience, compromise, and forgiveness prevailed in the Gallant-Jones home. He was a devoted husband and father who readily served his family in every way he could. Matt proudly wore many hats: speech coach, lacrosse and chorus dad, PTO president, and scout volunteer. Even throughout his cancer battle, Matt never turned down the opportunity to play the Easter Bunny at neighborhood events, and he treasured his role as a "Disney dad" with family and friends at the happiest place on Earth. He and his wife, Sandy, celebrated their children’s achievements and embraced countless outdoor scouting adventures. One of Matt’s favorite memories was traveling with his son to the Canadian Boundary Waters and discovering Cache Lake together.
Matt graduated from Pekin Community High School in 1983 and earned his associate’s degree from Illinois Central College. He later received both his bachelor’s degree and juris doctorate from the University of Illinois, completing his education in 1991.
Following law school, Matt worked as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Peoria County before joining the legal counsel team for Illinois Senate President Pate Philip, where he developed expertise in Illinois’ criminal code. He later worked in the private sector as a lobbyist with Chicago-based law firms Sidley Austin LLP and Altheimer & Gray, and practiced privately at Johnson, Bunce, and Noble, P.C. in Peoria. Most recently, Matt served for over 15 years as Associate Director of the Office of the Illinois Appellate Prosecutor and as an adjunct professor at his alma mater, the University of Illinois College of Law.
Throughout his life, Matt was committed to community leadership. Early in his career, he was selected as a Curry Intern for the late Illinois Governor James T. Thompson. He served as a national officer for Phi Theta Kappa and was a proud member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. After college, Matt found joy onstage with local community theater groups, including Cornstock and Peoria Players, and was especially proud of his acting work in productions of You Can’t Take it With You, Damn Yankees, Mister Roberts, and A Few Good Men.
Matt was named a "40 Leader Under Forty" by InterBusiness Issues magazine in 2001 and was later honored by the Illinois Jaycees as one of the Ten Outstanding Young People of Illinois in 2003. In 2012, the Peoria County Bar Association recognized him with the Distinguished Community Service Award for his longtime volunteerism. He also contributed generously to the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society and the Peoria Rotary North Club, among other organizations.
While Matt made an impact in state and national politics as a criminal policy expert, he also aspired to run for elected office someday. Whether he would have served as state’s attorney, judge, or senator ultimately doesn’t matter; Matt Jones achieved something far greater: he prioritized doing what was right over personal ambition, he treasured his family and friendships, he lifted his community, and he championed justice throughout Illinois. He made a lasting impact on so many and lived his life to the fullest. For that alone, he is deeply mourned.
Matt leaves to cherish his memory his wife of nearly 21 years, Sandra Denise Gallant-Jones, and their two children, Benjamin Ryan Jones and Emersyn Rhys Jones. He is preceded in death by an unborn child and his father, C. W. "Mike" Jones. He is also survived by his mother, Sandra S. Jones; sister, Lisa Jones (Dave Scott); half-brother, Michael Jones (Debra); half-sister, Catherine Jones; and numerous nephews, a niece, and extended family.
Visitation will be held from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM on Sunday, May 4, 2025, at St. Jude’s Catholic Church Hettinger Hall in Peoria. Additional visitation will be held Monday, May 5, 2025 in St. Jude’s Catholic Church from 10:00 AM until time of Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 AM. Father Patrick T. Henehan will officiate. Cremation rites will be accorded following mass, and a private graveside service will take place at a later time at St. Clement’s Catholic Cemetery in rural Dunlap.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the W. D. Boyce Council, Scouting America, in support of the "Be Brave Initiative," a new scholarship fund created in Matt’s memory to fund outdoor adventures for scouts whose parents or caregivers have been diagnosed with cancer.
Matt’s family extends heartfelt gratitude to the dedicated teams at the Illinois Neurological Institute, the Lou and Jean Malnati Brain Tumor Institute at Northwestern Medicine, Illinois Cancer Care, and the OSF Richard L. Owens Hospice Home, as well as to the K. B. Strong – Fighting the Fight, Not for Profit, for their unwavering support and compassion throughout Matt’s journey.
Friends and family are encouraged to log onto www.wrightandsalmon.com to sign the online guestbook, submit photos and share Matt’s memorial page via social media.
Funeral and cremation arrangements have been made under the direction and care of Wright & Salmon Mortuary. (309-688-4441)
