If you’re from East Boston, chances are you know the Matarazzo family. Or you’ve at least heard of them. They’re that kind of family. The kind that’s been here forever. The kind that shows up for everyone else and never asks for anything in return.

Robert and Lisa Matarazzo built their life here. They raised their children here. They built a small business and, more than that, they built community.

Their son, Nicholas. Nicky. He was everything good about them.

The kind of person no one had a bad word to say about. The kind of friend who always made time for you. The kind of son every parent dreams of.

We are asking the City of Boston to allow a memorial bench in Nicky’s name and they require we collect 100 signatures from the local community before presenting for approval in the next City Council meeting. A place where his family can sit. A place where his friends can visit. A small corner of this city that meant everything to him. Whether it’s in the Fens or somewhere else that makes sense, what matters most is that it’s here. In Boston. In the city that raised him.

Because being from Boston means something. It means surviving the longest winters just to squeeze every drop of joy out of our short summers. It means finding laughter tucked into every corner of every neighborhood. It means growing up fast and moving through life even faster. But more than anything, it means showing up when it counts. Boston always shows up for its own. Boston always finds a way to slow down for what matters.

That is what this bench is. A small pause in a fast-moving city. A place for the runner to catch their breath. For the parents to rest while their kids play. For friends to share stories. For someone passing by to sit, not knowing Nicky, but feeling the love that made this space exist.

If anyone deserves to be honored in a space like that, it is Nicky.

And it is this family.

The Matarazzos have given so much to East Boston. They have been small business owners, neighbors, church members, and loyal friends. They have shown up for this city in quiet and generous ways that most people never even see.

Now it’s our turn to show up for them.

Please sign this petition. Help us create a peaceful space in the heart of Boston. A space filled with memory and meaning. A space that reflects who Nicky was and the kind of love that surrounded him.

A place to sit. A place to breathe. A place to remember that kindness matters.

Because that is who Nicky was. And that is the kind of legacy he deserves

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