Tribute

 

(excerpt only)

​

For those who don’t know me, I’m Greg Tutino, one of Matt’s sons. It’s an honor for me to deliver this remembrance. I have to admit it feels a bit odd for me to be doing something so important without any input from him. I wonder if he left instructions somewhere that we just haven’t found yet. After all, he was nothing if not meticulously prepared.

 

Matt Tutino’s entire life was a testament to planning and executing with care and meaning.  To his credit, those standards of conduct catapulted him to great heights, and also enriched the lives of all those who paid attention to him.

 

And it was impossible not to pay attention to him.

 

My father was larger than life. He had a commanding presence that could terrify you, comfort you, or entertain you with equal fervor, depending on what the occasion called for.

He was the guy you never wanted to catch you lying or shirking your chores.

He was the guy you hoped wouldn’t come and sit next to you at dinner if you were planning on dating his daughter.

He was also the guy whose rendition of Pavarotti could melt a crowded stadium, and a few fortunate wedding receptions.

And he was the only man you’d want landing the plane when a raging storm was rolling in and panic would have crippled anyone else in his position.

 

But not Dad. Dad lived in a world where courage conquers all.

 

Fortunately, that world had room for all of us. He had a way of sharing his strength, almost fuelling others with a reserve of fearlessness. I’m never more sure of myself than after a chat with Dad.

 

His biography will tell the story of a fascinating, multi-gifted man: an accomplished Engineer designing sophisticated radar systems for the Air Force, an economics expert running our government’s global banking infrastructure, a business magnate operating multiple financial companies. He circulated inside a world of international intrigue & spy stuff, of wealth, status, and prestige. Outside of that world, he was a man of great musical artistry who taught himself the piano by ear and recorded several CDs, a man of country and patriotism who helped dozens of Eastern Bloc and Russian defectors escape to safety, and never missed an opportunity to solemnly tour the monuments of young souls lost in the name of freedom, a man of community and public service who gave his time piloting emergency services flights for law enforcement and teaching safe driving to the elderly, and a man of faith and family who sang in church every Sunday and loved his family more than life itself.

 

He sounds complex, but at the root of his complexity was something quite simple: The purity of his character. A simple set of values that formed the foundation for everything he did, and for everything he imparted on others.

 

(end of excerpt)