August 11, 2003 — October 19, 2022

Matthew Anthony Calderon

A kind, friendly person, with a gentle heart.

Matthew will be remembered as a loving brother and son, a soccer lover, who  was relied on and loved by many.

Hailing from San Antonio, Matthew Calderon, a nature lover, also had a deep passion for the minute details of technology, which led him to the engineering programs at Texas A&M. 

His mother, Dee-Ann Calderon, said Matthew was always “Mr. Fix-it” around their house, and A&M’s reputation for engineering, coupled with a welcoming environment, led him to make the move to College Station.

“He’s been interested in engineering for forever,” Dee-Ann said. “From an academic perspective, that was the big thing that attracted him, and he has some relatives, a lot of my cousins, who went [to A&M]. Those factors and the built-in community type of feel … is what ultimately led him there.”

Once Matthew moved into a campus dorm, he made friends through his classes and engineering organizations, while also making trips to Austin to visit his girlfriend, who attends the University of Texas. As time went on, Matthew spent more time in College Station with friends, often playing soccer.

While engineering and technology were important to his academic career, Matthew expanded this passion into creating a small online business, where he 3D printed a variety of products. Dee-Ann said his entrepreneurial spirit was also motivated by a desire to help others.

“He started a 3D printing business, [through] a store on eBay, where he designed things and then also took things other people designed that he could sell, so he had that aspect of himself as a young entrepreneur,” Dee-Ann said. “He was interested in how he could make [life] better for others, when he would design things.”

Both before and during his college career, he exemplified Selfless Service by working with children and animals. When it came to working with animals, Matthew wanted to help dogs particularly, knowing how greatly they can influence their caregivers. Working with children was a regular part of his volunteer work, Dee-Ann said. 

“He’s always been super involved in volunteering. Giving back, especially when it impacts others, specifically kids, was really important to him,” Dee-Ann said. “He volunteered at the Children’s Museum here in San Antonio and used the engineering skills that he had acquired through high school, and more into college, working with the kids and giving back. He does definitely have the servant’s heart.”

Even though he primarily lived in San Antonio, Matthew enjoyed living in College Station, as it reminded him of his family home in Boerne, a small-town, friendly feel. 

“Having some elements of a home feel was nice for him even though it wasn’t San Antonio. It was comforting to him to have people who were nice … a little more friendly to everybody in general,” Dee-Ann said. “He got that feeling when he was out in different restaurants or around town and just on campus. Everybody just says ‘Howdy’ and things like that. It was a nice shock to him, in other words, because it reminded him of his second home, where he grew up as a kid.”