Obituary of Matthew C. Mondanile

Mondanile, Matthew C, age 71 of Palm Beach Gardens, FL on May 5, 2025. Beloved husband of Martina Schultheis. Loving father of Matthew Mondanile, Jr. of Ridgewood, NJ and Margaret "Maggie" Fletcher and her husband Todd of New Smyrna Beach, FL, and their mother Nancy Mondanile. Dear brother-in-law of Monika Schultheis of Hauppauge, NY. Dear son of the late Matthew and the late Eileen (nee Shippee) Mondanile. Also survived by many loving cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Born in Paterson, NJ he grew up in North Haledon, NJ and also resided in Glen Rock, NJ and Ridgewood, NJ. Matthew attended Paterson Catholic High School. No. 44, he was the starting fullback and linebacker for the PC Cougars. He earned the nickname "Touchdown Matt" for his gridiron grit and ability to get the ball over the goal line. He went on to graduate from William Paterson College and started a career in real estate with the City of Paterson Assessor's Office. He worked as a real estate appraiser for several years in Southern California before moving back east to start his storied career in Manhattan.

He joined Cushman & Wakefield in 1982 and built the leading office valuation practice in the market, with Matt earning the company's top valuation producer title over ten times during his tenure. In the summer of 2001, he led the office valuation team that valued the entire World Trade Center complex as the Port Authority positioned the asset for sale. The 2001 transaction to Larry Silverstein was (at the time) the largest real estate deal in New York history. Days after the towers fell on 9/11, Matt and his team worked tirelessly helping to construct tenant floor plans to aid agencies in the search and rescue efforts. Matt rose through the ranks at C&W and became the New York Metropolitan Market Manager before he retired in 2011. Matt served the Metro New York Chapter of the Appraisal Institute faithfully over his three-plus-decade career, including serving as a Chapter Board Director until becoming Chapter President in 2009.

An avid golfer, Matt was forever in search of that perfect drive or putt. Over the years he was a proud member of Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, NJ; North Hempstead Country Club in Port Washington, NY; and BallenIsles Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. A number of his Paterson Catholic schoolmates and Cushman & Wakefield co-workers remained true, life-long friends. One memory shared, relates to Matt's remarkable ability to tell a story. On one particular afternoon, Matt and his C&W lunch-regulars sojourned over to the New York Athletic Club for lunch. Sitting at the next table were Yogi Berra, Phil Rizzuto and the Yankee Clipper, Joltin Joe DiMaggio. The intensely private DiMaggio was famously unapproachable…but that didn't deter Matt. He went over to the table and told Joe stories about his Dad going to the ballpark just to watch DiMaggio play. The aging DiMaggio stood up, and told Matt that him coming over meant a lot to him and thanked him before warmly shaking his hand.

Matt was a masterful storyteller. He had great stories to tell and he had a "larger-than-life" way of telling them and retelling them…..and they never grew old. He will be remembered for that, for making us laugh out loud and ending each tale with an infectious and enduring smile. He will forever be missed by those who were lucky enough to know and love him.

Friends and relatives may visit at the Festa Memorial Funeral Home, 111 Union Boulevard, Totowa, NJ on Monday 5/12/25 4 – 8 PM. A funeral service will be held at the funeral home on Tuesday 5/13/25 at 10:00 AM. Interment to follow at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Totowa, NJ. In lieu of flowers, donations to Trustbridge Hospice Care would be appreciated.