High school holds memorial

Deepa Bharath

They shed tears as they talked about Matthew Ramirez’s smile.

That dazzling smile that made his “big” cheeks look even bigger.

That big, old smile was good enough to make anyone’s day.

That smile was gone from Corona del Mar High School’s campus but

not from the hearts of students, teachers, counselors, friends and

family members who packed the high school’s theater auditorium Monday

evening to celebrate the life of the 17-year-old senior who died

after he was hit by a dune buggy while riding an all-terrain vehicle

in the motocross event Glamis on Halloween.

Matt had a passion for dirt bikes -- a love he shared with his

dad, Rigo.

“Every year, Thanksgiving weekend was their big weekend,” said

Matt’s brother, Robert Ramirez. “That’s when they’d go to Glamis to

ride their dirt bikes.”

But this year, they had decided to go earlier, he said.

Matt died doing what he loved doing the most, his friend Daniella

Marin said.

“I’ll miss his laugh, his chuckle,” she said, gazing at his shrine

his friends had made in his memory outside the auditorium.

It had everything Matt liked -- from a model ATV to a pair of

Jordan shorts he loved, a can of Diet Coke -- his favorite drink -- a

bottle of Romance, the brand of perfume he liked and even take out

boxes from Pick Up Stix, the Chinese restaurant whose food he often

enjoyed.

Tricia Doran was in tears as she talked about Matt’s loving and

caring nature.

“He never had anything bad to say about anyone,” she said. “He’s

not someone you expect dead. He was a good, good kid.”

Matt was also active in his church the Christian Tabernacle in

Santa Ana. The church’s youth choir for which Matt played the congas,

sang hymns in his honor.

The service was punctuated by laughter and tears. Teachers talked

about his mild manner and his respectful behavior while his friends

described him as a fun guy to hang out with.

Robert Ramirez said about 1,200 people came to the Santa Ana

church on Friday for Matt’s funeral. Matt’s sister Christine Aguilar

and his nieces and nephew were also present at the memorial service

on Monday.

“My brother touched a lot of lives,” Aguilar said.

Matt’s mother, Genevieve, said she had no idea her son had so many

friends.

“It’s awesome to see how he affected other’s lives,” she said.

“I’m touched by the unity among the students to do this for Matt.”

The school will dedicate a sequoia tree in Matt’s memory, his

counselor said. Principal Sharon Fry said this was a difficult time

for everyone who was close to Matt.

“Sometimes we forget each one of us here in Corona del Mar touches

a whole other world,” she said. “We see a small part of everyone

every day, but we never see the rest of their lives. We don’t

understand that unless something like this happens.”

Matt’s friend Katie Doran said his passing has “brought a lot of

people together.”

“When I think of Matt, I don’t think of a clique,” she said. “He

bonded with everyone. He was genuine. He was always himself.”

* DEEPA BHARATH covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at deepa.bharath@latimes.com.