Matthew John Trannel, 48, of Davenport, Iowa, formerly of East Dubuque, IL, passed away peacefully into eternal life after a 10-year battle with Myotonic Dystrophy, on Friday, May 8, 2026, at home.

A time to gather and celebrate Matt’s life will be held from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Friday, May 15, 2026, at the Halligan-McCabe-DeVries Funeral Home, Davenport, IA. Funeral services and Mass of Christian Burial for Matt will be held on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Mary's Catholic Church in East Dubuque, Illinois. An additional visitation will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. on Saturday at the church prior to the Mass. Burial will be at the East Dubuque Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Matt’s family to be used at a later date.

Matt was born January 7, 1978, in Dubuque, Iowa, a son of John and Mary (Weber) Trannel. He married the love of his life, Jill Harmsen, on July 6, 2002, at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church in Davenport, Iowa.

Matt grew up in East Dubuque. He went to St. Mary's Catholic grade school and graduated from Wahlert High School in 1996. He continued his education at St. Ambrose University, in Davenport, where he earned a scholarship to run track and cross country. While at St. Ambrose, he enjoyed his time with his many teammates and friends and more importantly met Jill. He graduated in 2000 with a bachelor's degree in accounting. Matt worked in accounting until his Myotonic Dystrophy led him into an early retirement. Matt then supported his wife’s dream of owning a preschool with unwavering love and support.

Matt loved all sports and most of his conversations revolved around his favorite teams and reciting key stats from seemingly every professional athlete. His favorite teams were the Iowa Hawkeyes, Chicago Bears, and Chicago Cubs. His love for baseball started at five years old when a special moment in his life was being able to play on his older brother Jason’s team that their dad coached. Besides baseball, he played basketball, soccer, golf, ran cross country and track, and was a Boy Scout for many years. To honor Matt’s love of sports, the family welcomes you to wear your favorite team apparel or colors to the celebration of life on Friday.

Matt’s favorite thing to do was spend time with family. He always looked forward to cookouts, camping, golfing, and game nights. Game nights could get competitive in the Trannel household and he even taught himself euchre at a young age so that he could participate.

Matt loved to travel. His memorable trips included any beach destination, Disney World, Wisconsin Dells, fishing trips to Canada, and a trip out west with his parents and siblings that he never stopped sharing memories of. Matt and Jill’s favorite trip was when they went on a cruise to the Caribbean, where Matt proposed.

Matt is survived by his wife, Jill; his father and mother, John and Mary Trannel; his sister, Michelle Trannel; his brother, Jason (Karen) Trannel; his father-in-law, David (Monica) Harmsen; his mother-in-law, Mary “Chris” Harmsen; brothers-in-law, Ryan Harmsen, Tyler Harmsen, and Garrett (Kristyn) Harmsen; his nieces and nephew, Madeline, Abigail, Hannah, and Emmett; his uncles, Tom (Dena) Trannel, Jeffrey (Lauri) Trannel, Jerry (Diane) Trannel, Joe (Cindy) Weber, Bob Leifker, Wendell Comer; his aunts, Marie Trannel, Mary C. Trannel, Carol Weber, Jean Redman and Nancy (Jim Imbus) Miller; and many cousins.

The Miller Funeral Home of East Dubuque, IL. is assisting the family with local arrangements.

Online condolences may be left for the family at www.millerfhed.com©