Matthew Plesek, who died in Wednesday’s accident on Highway 129,
had a wife and two young boys, Jordan, 8, and Austin, 5. His wife,
Stephanie Plesek, listed off all the many ways he showed interest
in his kids and called him an
”
awesome dad.
”
She noted how they often went camping and he coached their Pop
Warner and T-ball teams.
HOLLISTER
Matthew Plesek was always there for his two young boys, whether it was coaching several of their football and baseball teams, helping them with homework, taking the family camping or letting them use his power tools. He was involved, a family man first, a loving husband and a gentle spirit.
That’s how his mother and wife described the 33-year-old Plesek, who was killed in Wednesday’s accident on Highway 129. He died when he lost control of his 2003 Chevy S10 pickup truck and was hit broadside by a semi-tractor trailer coming from the opposite direction on the curvy highway, just west of the San Benito County border near Old Chittenden Road. The other driver was a 45-year-old man from Grants Pass, Ore., who sustained minor injuries.
Plesek had a wife and two young boys, Jordan, 8, and Austin, 5. His wife, Stephanie Plesek, listed off all the many ways he showed interest in his kids and called him an “awesome dad.” She noted how they often went camping and he coached their Pop Warner and T-ball teams.
“He would go and take them to fly kites or go and work out in the yard,” she said. “He let them use power tools, which I wasn’t really comfortable with. He was always there when they were doing their homework, trying to make it fun.
“We were supposed to go to Disneyland in October.”
Although construction was his occupation, Plesek’s “main job was being a dad,” said his mother, Nancy Plesek.
“He was a wonderful, caring Christian man. He was always there to help people. He never said ‘no’ to anybody,” she said. “He was a great dad, a great husband. We could not have asked for a better son. He was a gentle, caring spirit.”
His mother recalled how he was born in Westminster on April 14, 1975. They lived there until he was 6 and moved to Gilroy from there. Matthew Plesek attended Gilroy Christian School, South Valley Junior High School and graduated from Gilroy High School.
Plesek played a lot of sports growing up – mostly baseball and football. His mother also noted how he was an Eagle Scout and that he fought bulls for some time in Morgan Hill after graduating high school.
His parents moved from Gilroy to Hollister in 1997 and he came along. Plesek soon after met his wife and was married in September 1999, while they had their first child a year later.
Plesek continually showed interest in his kids’ athletic interests and most recently had been coaching both of their Hollister Little League teams, one in T-ball and the other in the organization’s Double A division, said Ed Moakler, president of the local league.
Along with coaching, Plesek served on the Little League’s board of directors as coordinator of the T-ball and Challenger divisions, Moakler said. The Challenger division is for kids with disabilities.
The league held moments of silence to observe his passing before games Wednesday and Thursday nights. His son’s Double A team had been scheduled to play Thursday, but the game was canceled, Moakler said.
Moakler called Plesek a “great guy who did everything he could to help out” – such as being instrumental this year in preparing the park for this season.
“The community is rallying around the family,” Moakler said. “We’re very shocked and saddened by the loss.”
While the coroner’s office confirmed his identity today, it also reported that he died of lacerations of the brain stem, heart, aorta, lungs and liver due to the impact, said Detective Jason Fennelly of the Santa Cruz County Coroner’s Office.
A fund has been established to help the family with expenses at San Benito Bank. It is called “The Plesek Memorial Account” with the number 0102722626.
Services are scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday at the First Presbyterian Church, 2066 San Benito St.
