Matthew C. Omerza, son of Michelle and Eric Omerza, was born in Jackson, MS on September 4, 2001. He attained Heavenly Peace with the Lord on July 16, 2018. He was a blessing to his family from day 1 in so many ways. Matthew lived in Byram, MS from his birth until 2005, when his family moved to Clinton, MS. He started school and enjoyed learning, his teachers and his friends. He played soccer for one season with the Clinton Soccer Assn., on a team that was coached by his father Eric, a lifelong soccer fan. Matthew was following in the footsteps of his sisters, Emily and Ashley Omerza, who both played for CSA and were at times also coached by Eric.

Matthew was an exceptional artist, avid video gamer, and photographer. He enjoyed all of the vacations and other trips that he took with his family, especially Hot Springs, AR and Chattanooga, TN. He always wanted to go to Astoria, OR because that's where The Goonies was filmed. This was one of his favorite movies, as well as the movie Interstellar. He liked the idea of humans traveling to Mars, the evolution of video games, and Tesla automobiles. He recently attended the Imagine Dragons concert at the amphitheater in Brandon, MS with his parents. This was one of his favorite bands.

Matthew liked to research anything that caught his attention, usually telling his family about it by starting with the phrase "I watched a video on YouTube...". He had a sly sense of humor and was a great mimic of people that he'd see on TV or videos. One of his greatest memories occurred a few years ago for his birthday, when he took an introductory flying lesson with his father and an instructor. The instructor gave Matthew the details, and then allowed Matt to take off, fly and land the plane all on his own, all while the instructor sat next to him and marveled at his ability. Meanwhile, his father sat in the back and took photos to show off how proud he was of his son's accomplishments. Another recent activity he enjoyed was going to the shooting range with his father and learning marksmanship and firearm safety.

Matthew is survived by his parents, Eric and Michelle Omerza, as well as two sisters, Emily Omerza and Ashley Omerza, all of Clinton, MS, grandparents Steve and Sarah Sanders of Oklahoma, grandparents Gary and Cathy Parker of New Mexico, Uncle Scott Mclemore (Sandra) of Byram, MS, Aunt Kimberely Parker (Mark) of Nevada, Aunt Laurel Sons of Clinton, MS, Uncles Mike Mclemore of Texas and Brandon Mclemore (Amanda) of Alabama, along with a large contingent of cousins and other relatives around the country. He is also survived by the family dogs Rebel, Charlie, Milo and Ollie as well as his hamster, Sam.

A memorial service will be held Tuesday evening, July 24, at Parkway Baptist Church in Clinton, MS. A visitation with family will begin at 5:00 p.m. with the service beginning at 6:00 p.m. The family asks for your continued prayers and that in lieu of flowers, any donations of money, time, or other assistance such as fundraising, be made to any organization involved with the prevention of suicide.

If you need help, or know of anyone that may need help, please call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.