Dana Shawn "Bugsy" Matta

Of Greenfield, age 69, died following a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer on June 1, 2026. Dan was born on November 7, 1956, in Pittsburgh and grew up in North Braddock.

Dan loved football and pound for pound was probably one of the toughest linebackers to come out of the area. He attended Scott High School which became General Braddock High School. He grew up working construction for his father and then his uncle at Matta Fence in the 1970s. After a move to California in 1980, Dan, who had always been a voracious reader, decided he needed to finish high school and went on to get a GED. He followed that by working as a security guard and attending Orange Coast Community College in Costa Mesa. With an associates degree in hand, he moved on to Cal State Fullerton completing a Bachelor and Masters degrees in Human Services. By this time, he was a scholar in his own right and pursued and completed a Ph.D. in Marriage & Family Therapy at Loma Linda University in 2004. Dan received the Anselm Strauss Award for Best Family Qualitative Research from the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) in 2007. After completing his doctorate and getting licensed as a marriage & family therapist, Dan worked in a number of social service agency settings in the Pittsburgh area before landing his dream job counseling active-duty military throughout the U.S. and Europe. He loved traveling and exploring the islands in Hawaii, Stonehenge in England, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Colosseum in Rome and the castles in Germany. He retired in 2020 and began playing the guitar, singing the blues, continued reading, and spending time with family and friends.

Dan was preceded in passing by his mother, Ruth Matta (1985), his sister, Tammy Bermudez (1992), and his father, Thomas E. Matta (2017).

Dan is survived by his maternal uncle, Jim Sylves, Jr. (Cecilia) and three siblings, Diane Esposto, Tom Matta (Cindy) and Jim Matta (Carla). Dan has nieces and nephews too numerous to count.

Family and friends will be received on Friday, June 5, 2026, from 1-3 p.m. at Patrick T. Lanigan Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc., 700 Linden Ave. at Cable, East Pittsburgh, PA 15112, (412) 824-8800, where a Funeral Service will be held at 3 p.m.

A Celebration of Life gathering will immediately follow at the Asti’s Italian Steakhouse at the Grand View Golf Club, 1000 Clubhouse Dr., North Braddock, PA 15104.

The family would like to extend their sincere thanks to the staff of the Willows in Oakmont, Bridges Hospice, and Comfort Keepers.  They have collectively made Dan’s journey one of peace and serenity.