Mateo Quintana Bringas Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Mateo Quintana Bringas was born in Mexico City where he spent the first half of his life. From the start of his life Mateo's presence in a room was felt and noticed. He always found a way to captivate others and make them laugh with his mischievous antics. From being one year old and jumping into a pot of fresh beans as if it were a hot tub while he enjoyed his bottle of milk, to recruiting his uncles to ding dong ditch around the neighborhood; Mateo was always up to something to make the best of life. Everyone knew he was lighthearted and easygoing, truly a pure soul. He'd always be there to give you a kiss, offer a hug, to show the people he loved that he loved them. He didn't discriminate against anyone, he knew everyone was deserving of love and a good life. He could make friends with someone random on the street as well as the smartest person in the room. Not a single person can recall him talking badly about anyone or complaining about others– he was a people-lover, and everyone knew it, everyone felt his warmth. He knew he had a way with people, and showed his love differently to others. Mateo and his sister Carolina grew up extremely close as they were only a year apart. He showed his love to her by playing pranks on her, claiming later in life she deserves an Oscar for what he put her through when they were growing up. He would purposely pick on her until his grandma MamaTere would chase him with the chancla because he found it hilarious. He would just burst out laughing at the whole scene, constantly seeing the joys in life. He was a little tornado, always spreading chaos and love wherever he went. With his older cousins his personality only exuded further. They all recall the first time he ate an entire tocha in one bite and nearly choked, surely causing a scene, but he just laughed. Mateo was undoubtedly silly and impulsive, trying to live life to the fullest. Every time he got an allowance he would immediately spend it on the most random things one can imagine– a squeaky chicken, wrestling masks, magic tricks, a helmet with two drink dispensers, pretty much anything that caught his attention. Then there came the New Year's of 2001, a family trip in Guanajuato; everyone was excited to enjoy themselves as a family. Mateo had bought a Luchador mask, "El Santo," which he did not take off for a second. He then proceeded to pull the fire alarm in the middle of the New Year's party, classic Mateo, he knew this would be the perfect New Year's prank. Inevitably the entire hotel had to evacuate. As soon as it happened everyone's first question was "Where is Mateo?!" Everyone knew he had to have been behind this. Mateo and his sister Carolina had a "laboratory" at the top of his closet. They would climb to the top of the closet and hide their "experiments," games, anything they were trying to hide. One day he told Caro "Look what I bought"-- mind you it was a white mouse named Seus. It was not uncommon for Mateo to break the rules, and then proceed to involve his sister Caro, always saying "just don't tell mom." Caro was now dragged into this mess, of course. They attempted to secretly take care of this mouse up in the "laboratory" until eventually the responsibility became too much and he told his mom. It was typical of Mateo to think it's better to ask for forgiveness and not permission. Once on a trip to Veracruz with Mateo and his extended family got caught in a level 5 hurricane. The hotel rooms were flooded, everyone was distressed, yet Mateo could not stop laughing at the situation, a moment that truly captures his essence. During his childhood he was always making friends, whether it was at school or playing football. Football became a huge part of his upbringing, it taught him discipline, teamwork, loyalty, and he cultivated a passion for the sport. He made unconditional friends for life during his years playing football who remember him for his silly moments and smiles. Every weekend was spent as a family at Mateo's football games and practices. His youngest sister Maria Jose was practically born on the Bucaneros field, sleeping as an 18 month old baby while the crowd cheered Mateo's team on loudly. Mateo never failed to find interest in anyone and everything. He went through several phases – wanting to be a magician, a musician, a chess player, a football player, a pilot, a philosopher, a firefighter, a fisherman, the list could go on. But it wasn't just that he found interest in so many facets of life, but that he was genuinely good at these things. Many remember being fooled by his magic tricks, or hearing him play the guitar. He loved to explore life, to learn, always reading, collecting books of fiction, science, philosophy, fantasy. Above all else, he genuinely appreciated people. Specifically his grandma MamaTere, undoubtedly his hero. She was not only his grandma but his second mother, she would pamper him and let him get away with his antics. He would speak of her so highly, she was the one person he never wanted to disappoint. Mateo and his family moved to the States when he was just 15 years old, and started high school in a new country with a new language. Nevertheless, Mateo was making friends since the first day. In the late summer of 2007 he instantly signed up for football tryouts. He showed up with his curly hair, loads of colorful bracelets, which were the style back in Mexico at the time, short shorts, crocs loaded with widgets, and his thick Mexican accent– clearly not an American teen. He confidently approached the football coach and said "I want to play football." They looked him up and down and pointed to the soccer field. Mateo insisted "No. American football." They were obviously shocked but let him try out anyway. As soon as he hit the field they shut up real quick when he destroyed a kid with a monster tackle; he had gained the team's respect and everybody loved him after that, he was even asked to be on the Varsity team– pretty impressive for this unamerican boy. In Mateo's style he didn't stop here, he also went through a wrestling phase and lacrosse for a hot minute, and of course he was good. His close friend Scott was his wrestling partner at practices. Mateo loved riding his bike, and one day Scott and his dad saw him riding it in the rain back home from practoce and they gave him a ride, after that they became best friends. Through this and his lighthearted, approachable nature he became friends with everyone in High School; despite the language and cultural barriers he adapted quickly, he was the type of person whose name you'd hear walking through the halls. He was the type of brother who would always protect you and help you get away with things. He once babysat his youngest sister Maria Jose and asked her what she wanted for dinner. Maria Jose was seven years old, eagerly responded "a chocolate molten lava cake from chili's." Mateo obviously said okay and showed up with two lava cakes– dinner for that night. He was the type of brother that if the school called to say your sister skipped a class he'd pick up the phone and cover for you. He had a love for food, specifically pizza and tacos, he would show you the best places to get them, with beautiful views or underground and lowkey. He was the type of cousin that would take you to the movies and buy you three large bags of popcorn. He was the person you could talk about anything and everything with, he would support you to make any life decision, he would lay on the grass with you just to think and enjoy life in the moment. Mateo attended Manhattan College where he enrolled in chemical engineering– known to be one of the hardest careers, but he wasn't one to back down from a challenge, go big or go home. Freshman year his suitemate Hugh recalls the first day when they moved in. Hugh was anxious and shy, Mateo offered to go on a walk around campus and before they even made it out of the building he had him laughing hysterically and all his anxiety and worries faded away. Hugh knew that at the very least if he hung out with Mateo he'd meet plenty of people, sure enough by the end of the walk he had introduced himself to a handful of people and had plans for that night. Mateo was the life of the party, he brought laughter and joy into every room. His genuine approach made everyone feel welcome and comfortable. With the help of Dr. Flynn and his peers, Mateo graduated college and started to explore further passions. As always he was dabbling in multiple interests, from high school working at a pizzeria, chili's, a UPS Store, to construction and sales, he was always up to something. As anyone else, Mateo had struggles, but through this he gained invaluable awareness and found his purpose to help others. He was a simple man, there for everyone when you needed someone, whether it was to go to a concert, to play videogames, run errands, he was always there for you. He was a fighter, a believer, a dreamer, a loved son, brother, and friend. He learned to live life on life's terms. It is inexplicable how much Mateo will be missed. Please join us as we bid his soul a safe journey back to God. God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference The mass will be streamed from St. Patrick's Church on April 7, 2022 at 10am. https://client.tribucast.com/tcid/9997374396

Tributes

Mateo Quintana Bringas

August 5, 1991 - April 2, 2022