Samuel R. Mata

April 4, 1945 - February 19, 2019

Posted

Samuel R. Mata, of Sonora, Texas, went to be with the Lord on February 19, 2019 surrounded by his family.

Samuel known to us as Dad, Tata and Grandpa was born to Gabriel H. Mata Sr. and Eugenia R. Mata in Sonora, TX on April 4, 1945.

He married Irma Avila on December 3, 1962. Together they formed their family in Sonora where he was a lifetime resident.

As a child he worked alongside his father building fences and later went on to work for Carl J Cahill as an operator, then with Morris Brothers Construction as a foreman, followed by the County.

After his retirement from the County, his drive to continue in his father’s footsteps and build a legacy for his family lead him to open his own fencing company in 1998, S & M Fencing later which became S & I Fencing.

He worked alongside with his brother, his sons, and daughter along with occasional help from his grandsons. He showed all his children to work hard and to always do great work, he never saw a challenge too big for him and always had a vision of what he had planned for any particular job site. He was honest and sincere to his workers and patrons.

He owned and ran his fencing company until his last day.

He was an avid fan of the Dallas Cowboys and a lifetime fan of Sonora Broncos and LakeView Chiefs, where he would go to cheer on his children and grandchildren play.

His all-time favorite pastime was baseball.

The love he had for baseball was shared and passed on to his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. As a teen he played baseball and his love for baseball brought him to form a Semi-Pro team, in 1977, the Sonora Red Soxs which later would become the Sonora Colt .45’s.

He coached and owned the Colt .45’s for many years, coaching his sons and his nephews, as well as many of their friends. They would travel to many surrounding area towns as well as into Mexico to play baseball. He continued to do this until 2000. At that point his grandsons were old enough to participate in little league and he helped coach them, mentor them and always cheering them on.

He remained his grandsons’ biggest fan, always cheering from the stands, mentoring them during their at-bat or while on the mound, base or behind the plate.
He never let the rain, cold, wind, or heat interfere with is presence at the field.

He continued to follow them into their high school years.

Every year he talked about the standings and often liked to poke his grandsons when they challenged him on whom the better player and team were.
He loved his Houston Astros and was smitten when he had an opportunity to meet and talk to Astros legend, Nolan Ryan. He continued to cheer his Astros into the World Series and when asked what game he would most like to watch his Astros play against, he stated the Yankees, because they are a good team and I like Aaron Judge #99.

In his spare time he loved to compete in BBQ cook-offs with his sons and grandsons, participating and placing in many including the Brady Goat Cook-off as well as his favorite, the Miles Cook-off and there has never been a better burger than a Mata burger.

Two of his biggest accomplishments were restoring the Plazita and building the baseball field at the county grounds, where his Colt .45’s would play and current home of the Sonora Broncos.

He is preceded in death by his parents, his siblings, Gabriel and Robert Mata, his granddaughter, Marissa and his great grandson, Jaxson.

He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Irma Mata and their children, Sonia Reyes, Edward Mata and wife Emily, Adrian Mata and wife Karina all of Sonora and Sam A Mata, Jr. and wife Amy of San Angelo.

Also surviving him are his grandchildren, Bryan and wife Daniella, Anissa, Michael and girlfriend Meagan, Anthony and wife Linda, Damian, Darrek, Daniel, Samuel Andrew, Hayley, Zachary, Ariana, America, Alex, Efrain, Gabriel, Adrialys and Aaliyah.

He is also survived by his great grandchildren Austin, Jose, Barrett Thomas (BT), Makaio and Isla.

Viewing will be at Love’s funeral home, 409 E. 2nd Street, Sonora, Texas.

Mass of Resurrection will be on Friday, February 22, 2019 at St. Ann’s Catholic Church at 11:00 AM with Rev. Terry Brenon. Interment will follow at Sonora Cemetery.

Special thanks to Dr. Cheruku his staff, the 4th floor nursing staff at Shannon Medical Center and especially Dr. Edwards and her staff, we greatly appreciate all the care you gave our dad.

The family wishes to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers during this journey.

2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.