Born in 1976 in San Leandro, California, Joseph (Joe) Gerald Matteucci was the only child of Gerald and Alexandra Matteucci.

Joe was an all American boy — he loved to dress up in costume and was sometimes a cowboy, a fireman, or an army man (GI Joe). He built a tree fort and spent lazy summer days exploring the creek that ran behind his cottage with his dog Lady by his side. He also played many sports, from soccer to baseball.

Joe loved to play tricks on his mom and he was quick to laugh. Lady wore his costumes and, one Halloween, they both dressed up. Lady was bejeweled with necklaces and earrings. He loved music and played the flute, keyboard, drums, and clarinet before he settled on the guitar.

Joe also loved drawing — it was something he and his mom did together. He fancied himself an artist and was always drawing or painting. Some of his original drawings are available on JMF t-shirts.

Joe spent a lot of time in his mother's business, and worked the food & beverage trade shows. He was a great salesman and liked to negotiate.

Joe was popular at school and had many friends, some of them girls! He loved to entertain his friends with stories and jokes.

One time his teacher had an assignment for the students to write a story explaining who they would most like to be marooned on a desert island with, and the majority of the class chose Joe. He was handsome and witty. As a son he was kind and sentimental, always quick to hug and listen.

Joseph's parents divorced when he was one year old and he lived with his mother Alexandra in Oakland. Joseph continued a close and loving relationship with his father. They were able to spend many weekends together.

When Joseph was six years old, he and his mom moved to Castro Valley and lived near Palomares School where he went to grammar school. Joseph then attended Canyon Middle School and, at the time of his death, he was a junior at Castro Valley High School. Joe was his mom's best friend and she always called him "the man of my dreams."

Today Lady is an older dog still waiting for Joe to come home. Joe's spirit of a loving young boy lives on in the Joseph Matteucci Foundation, standing for peace and teaching techniques to achieve sportsmanship and nonviolence in sports and in life. Thousands of young people, coaches, and teachers have gone through training programs that teach mediation and display the "Stand For Peace" logo in their efforts to stop violence.