New Orleans, LA — At just 25-years-old, Matthew Tenedorio, was “just starting life and had the job of his dreams,” according to his mother Cathy, who's recovering from cancer.
Now, instead of planning the new year ahead, she’s making funeral arrangements for her son.
"He was so full of life. Anyone that saw him, talked with him... he just made everyone feel comfortable and welcome. He just lit up the room. He was a very good friend and a wonderful son and our lives are never going to be the same without him," Cathy shared tearfully. "He had a big heart."
On New Year's Eve, Matthew enjoyed dinner with his mom and brother Jeremy. He then headed to Bourbon Street in New Orleans to celebrate and was shot and killed after a driver slammed into a crowd, in what's being investigated as a suspected terrorist attack.
“We had dinner, and we did fireworks outside, and just laughing and hugging each other and telling each other we loved each other,” she said. Cathy added they tried to dissuade Matthew from going into the French Quarter.
"Much to my husbands and my dismay, we tried to talk him out of it... it's just horrendous. I just can't fathom. And then, when we couldn't reach him the next day... and eventually spoke to his friends who told us what they witnessed. They heard the gunshots," Cathy described. "We were calling all the hospitals but he wasn't a patient anywhere. So the obvious question was... where are they taking everybody? And it was University Medical Center and that's where he is now."
Described by family as a "beloved son, brother, uncle, and friend whose laid-back spirit and infectious laughter brought joy to everyone around him," Matthew was a Pearl River Central High School graduate. He made lasting memories and friendships during his time there, according to a GoFundMe set up in his honor. "Matthew was always the one to lighten the mood, able to laugh off life's challenges and spread positivity wherever he went," it reads in part.
Matthew was an audiovisual technician for the Superdome, where he worked with his father. On Jan. 2, the company released a statement about their slain team member.
"Matthew had a bright future and was able to learn and work alongside his father Louis Tenedorio, a dedicated team member in our video production department for 11-years. Our hearts, prayers and support go out to the Tenedorio family and to all those lives impacted by this act of terrorism."
"It's just terrible to lose your child in a terrorist attack. Innocent, just walking down the street," said Cathy.
"My sweet cousin, heartache doesn't come close to describe what we all feel right now," Tenedorio's cousin Christina Bounds said in a Facebook post. "You always gave the best hugs and had the biggest smile when you walked in a room. We will miss you forever cous."
Matthew is survived by his parents Lou and Cathy, grandson of Edward and Jane Colgan and by his brothers, Jonathon and Jeremy, as well as his niece and nephews, Dalila, Dante, Leo, and Felix.