Although his life was short, friends and family shared their
blessing of knowing 18-year-old Matthew Lopez.
Lopez, along with Paul Galvan, 18, died in an automobile
accident Dec. 6. Lopez, a 2003 graduate of San Benito High School,
was attending Gavilan College and working at the San Juan Oaks Pro
Shop.
Although his life was short, friends and family shared their blessing of knowing 18-year-old Matthew Lopez.
Lopez, along with Paul Galvan, 18, died in an automobile accident Dec. 6. Lopez, a 2003 graduate of San Benito High School, was attending Gavilan College and working at the San Juan Oaks Pro Shop.
Friday, several hundred people, some standing, crammed into the San Juan Bautista Mission for a funeral Mass.
While local musician Ed DeGroot played the organ, family members and close friends walked down the aisle, some pushing Lopez’s casket to the front of the church. Parents Bob and Laura Lopez sprinkled holy water on the casket.
“While Matt lived a short life, we are blessed that we were able to share time with him,” said Father Ron Green. “Let’s pray that God gives us the courage to get through this for life does not end here – it begins here.”
Of all the gifts Lopez gave to people who knew him, “the one above them all was love,” Green said. Green reflected on Lopez’s smile and joy.
“He could make you feel as if you were a popular person. He shares his presence, even in death,” he said.
Aunts Marylou Mesa and Patsy Patino read Scriptures from the Bible. Cousin Danielle Patino shared memories about growing up with Lopez.
“We did so much together,” she said. “We were in each other’s elementary classes. He would try his wrestling moves on me.”
Patino and Lopez often went to football and basketball games and wrestling matches together. They were even each other’s date to their first formal ball, Patino said through tears.
“If I had a bad day or if I was just down, just a smile from him made me feel better,” she said. “I will miss him, but remember the 18 years we shared together.”
Afterwards, Patino read a poem called “Heaven and Earth.”
During the service, Green urged people to learn from the accident and not forget Lopez’s life. He reminded people about how Lopez encouraged others to put their talents to use.
“This church is full. People are here, looking for a way to do something and we are,” Green said. “His spirit is here. His life is in each of us. Matt will work through us to make the world a better place.”
The only solace Green could give Lopez’s family and friends was that “God takes the best and leaves the rest.”
After the service, Lopez was laid to rest in the San Juan Bautista Cemetery.
