Matthew Pearson Bishop

Matthew (Matt) Pearson Bishop, 63 years old, a resident of Eagle, Idaho, passed away on October 13th, 2021 at St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, Boise, ID after a courageous battle with the complications of COVID-19.

Matt was born May 5th, 1958 in Sacramento California. He graduated from high school in 1976, attended American River College, and then obtained a Bachelors of Arts degree from St. Mary’s College, with honors, in 1997. Matt was a retired captain with the California Highway Patrol (CHP). He began his career with the CHP on May 31, 1982. Upon graduating from the Academy (ID 10308), he was assigned to the West Los Angeles Area. Captain Bishop also worked as an officer in the Los Banos and Crescent City Area offices. On December 2, 1993, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and was assigned to the Hollister/Gilroy Area and was later selected to work as a Sergeant for Coastal Division. On July 1, 2000, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and assigned to the Visalia Area and was then chosen to be the Administrative Lieutenant in Central Division. On October 31, 2003, Matt was promoted to the rank of Captain and was assigned to Central Division’s Special Operations Command. Captain Bishop also served as the Commander of the Multi-Agency Gang Enforcement Consortium (MAGEC), where he remained until his retirement on November 16, 2012 after a 31 year career.

Matt loved rooting for his Los Angeles Dodgers, coaching his son Tristan in baseball, smoking a great cigar, and imbibing in fine spirits with family and friends. He enjoyed working on crossword puzzles, fixing things around the house, and working on his prized 1969 Scout. He also really loved going fishing and whittling with Tristan every chance he could. Matt was a selfless person who would drop whatever he was doing in a moment’s notice to help a friend in need.

Matt is survived by his wife April Bishop (née Kellinghaus) who he married on October 15th, 2006 and their son Tristan Bishop both of Eagle, Idaho; three daughters, Mattie Bishop, Lydia Williams married to Colby, and Courtney Johnson married to Phil; as well as three grandchildren, Levi Williams, and Milan and Caitlyn Johnson. In addition, Matt is survived by his brother Craig Bishop and his parents Lowell Lee Bishop and Sharron Corylea Bishop (née Heldt) of Sacramento. He was preceded in death by a daughter Katie who died at birth.

The funeral service will be October 26th at 4:00 pm at Cloverdale Funeral Home – Gibson Chapel, at 1200 N. Cloverdale, Boise, Idaho with a reception dinner immediately after the funeral, details to follow.