Matthew J Zuniga

Matthew Zuniga, 41, passed away on February 3, 2022, in Corpus Christi, Texas. He was born on May 9, 1980 in Laredo, TX, the youngest son of Oscar J Zuniga Jr and Jay Bridges Zuniga. Matthew met his spouse April Wertman of Stroud, Oklahoma in August of 2008 in Port Aransas, TX.

A loving, caring man to his family and many friends, Matthew (or Matty as he was called by many dear friends) spent his formative years in South Texas, making many enjoyable trips to Port Aransas. Those trips to Port A would be a strong influence on the rest of his life.

He moved to Oregon with his family when he was 13 and almost immediately fell in love with downhill snow skiing. He was reckless on his skis and his friends will remember that he covered his last pair in zebra-print so you'd just see him wildly skiing down the mountain like a madman. He made some dear friends and memories in Oregon but ultimately, fishing pulled him back to Texas.

Returning to Port Aransas in 2005, Matt began working at Woody's Sports Center, using this opportunity to meet many in the offshore and bay fishing communities. He also enjoyed gleaning any knowledge he could from local fishing enthusiasts. Matt's next professional chapter was working on offshore charter boats, at one point attaining his USCG Captains License. Matt loved fishing and passing on his knowledge of fishing to anyone he could, especially to our younger generations. Nothing brought him more joy than when there were kids on a day's charter. His final place of employment was with the Port Aransas Pilot Office, which was another opportunity he was very grateful for.

Best known for his love of fishing and for his cooking skills, Matt also enjoyed Spurs basketball, Oregon Ducks football, and he had a love for learning and deep conversations with those close to him. His lifelong ambition was to travel into outer space to visit other planets.

Along with his spouse April and their beloved cat JJ, Matthew is survived by his parents Oscar and Jay Zuniga; his brother Branch Zuniga; sister Bethany Zuniga; grandmother Jay Vidaurri; and nephews Brandon and Tyler Zuniga.

He was preceded in death by his brother Robert Paul Zuniga, sister Janna Elizabeth Zuniga; his maternal grandfather John W. Bridges, his paternal grandparents Oscar and Patricia Zuniga, and his uncle Bernard "Zed" Zuniga.

A celebration of life for Capt. Matthew Zuniga will be held at a later time.

Memorial donations can be made in Matthew's name to The Cattery cat shelter in Corpus Christi.

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