Brandon Cooper Gabriel Mateo

Brandon Cooper Gabriel Mateo

Reno - On February 18th 2020 our baby boy left this earth. Brandon Cooper Gabriel Mateo was born in Reno NV on August 1st 2005 and quickly became the light of our lives. He was joined by his brother in 2007, and the two of them have been the center of our universe since. Brandon has always had a smile that lit up a room. He was kind, gracious and genuine. He was the type of kid that would give you the shirt off his back, or his shoes if he thought you needed them. His friends tell stories of a kid who made them smile daily, of a kid who played Uno with another kid every morning because he saw he was alone. They talk about the kid who asked everyone daily, "How's your day goin'? What many of them didn't know is our beautiful little boy was struggling with depression, and ultimately, he took his own life.

Brandon was the kind of kid who gave hugs freely. He hugged us at least five times a day. He said "I love you" every morning, every night, after dinner, and just because. He always told us to have a good day, to sleep well, and to do good. He travelled near and far with his murmaw and papa, and was always down for an adventure. He jumped off cliffs, flew the zip line at Burning Man, and killed spiders for his mom. He loved food with an intense passion. Brandon believed appetizers weren't for sharing, and the bigger the better with burgers, steaks and dessert. He was striving to be a Yelp Elite like his mom, and had just started attending events with her. His favorite class in school was Foods, and he was so looking forward to Foods 2 next year. He often made dinner for the family, and this Thanksgiving he made dinner almost all on his own. One of his favorite things to do was hug his mom and tell her how small she was. At 14 years old Brandon stood 5' 9" tall and he loved being a giant next to his mom. He preferred to get down the stairs by jumping down all of them, and then jumping up 9' to hang from the ledge above the stairs and do pullups. He was an incredible swimmer and loved days at Lake Tahoe. He was a natural snowboarder and immediately began beating his dad to the bottom of the hill when they went boarding. He was a protective big brother, and would defend his brother against anyone. He was fiercely protective of his friends and wouldn't tolerate bullying. He said please, and thank you, and held doors open for everyone. He told jokes so terrible they became funny. Brandon had the brightest future ahead of him, and we don't know how to breathe without him.

Brandon is survived by his parents Robert & Shannon Mateo, his brother Codi, his maternal grandparents, Kirk & Anna Weakland, and his paternal grandparents, Al & Cora Mateo, along with his extended family and friends.

Brandons celebration will be February 29th 2020 at the Rancharrah Pavilion, 6001 Talbot from 2:00-6:00pm. Services to begin at 2pm with Brandons favorite food and desserts to follow. There will be a viewing at O'Brien Rogers, 600 W. Second Street from 12-2:00pm February 29th 2020 for those who want to attend. In lieu of flowers, the family requests you bring your favorite recipe to share. Brandon loved to cook, and his family would like to continue that with his Brother Codi.