About the Mark Matesic Memorial Foundation | Supporting First Responders' Mental Health

Mark Elliott Matesic was born on February 2nd, 2006. He came home March 5th to his forever family. We fostered Mark until we were able to adopt our baby boy. When he was little Mark was fascinated with
steps and ladders.

From the time I can remember, Mark wanted nothing more than to be a fireman. He loved playing dress up when he was little and everyday he wanted to play Fire fighter with his younger brother. When he was very young he would watch Fireman Sam every day, a kid show from the UK about a fireman.

From the time Markie was two or three he had us visiting every fire station within a 20-mile span. Every vacation, every trip to school in the morning, there was a fire station right up the street, so he would ask to stop every day. I would only stop 1 time a week because I did not want to wear out our welcome of the Fire Fighters at the Pittsburgh Fire station in Homewood. When we were on vacation, he would use my phone to find the closest station so that he could visit and get a shirt. His world evolved around fire
fighting even at such an early age.

Markie tired to visit a fire station every day of his life, he knew what he wanted to do at a very early age and could tell all the fire fighters all about the trucks and equipment. Mark’s favorite truck was the Rescue Truck and would try to jump on that truck every chance he got. Here Markie visited with Monroeville 5 for the holidays and brought them cookies. He was so excited because his friend, Eli, a firefighter from station 5 took him on the Tiller and went for a ride. The fire fighters were appreciative of the cookies, but I told them thank you for making Markie’s day for taking him on a ride on the Tiller.

In the school year of 2019 and 2020, Mark decided to join the JROTC Airforce program at Plum Highschool. He wanted to serve his country and wanted to learn how to become a better man and human in this world. He was always looking for ways to help others. One week before Mark’s death we visited the Army substation at Monroeville Mall. He wanted to start in the Early Entry program, where he would go to bootcamp after his junior year in high school and then return as a private in the Army and finish his last school year as a reservist. Then after graduation, he would get his orders of what base he would serve at. One of the funniest moments of my life occurred with Markie trying to figure out how to tie his uniform tie. To say we were falling over laughing, trying to watch videos, even FaceTimed a good friend to help and needless to say, we never got the tie done. I told Mark to go to school and tell his teachers he lived with a single mom who has no clue how to tie his tie. Still puts a smile on my face every time I think about that memory.

Markie joined Unity Volunteer Fire Department 233 in Plum as a JR. Fire fighter in February 2020. He could not wait until his 14th birthday so that he could finally join. He spent many hours at unity Station over the 2020-2021 year. He spent many days during the Covid pandemic at the station after he was done with his classwork. He enjoyed the comradery and brotherhood that the station provided him. He wanted to be some one who helped the community of Plum be a safer and better place to live. He loved his community, the city of Pittsburgh, and his country.

In July of 2021, Markie joined Pitcairn Fire Department, Station 229, as a junior. His first big job at the station was to help the community fair that the fire department puts on every year. Well, every fire fighter was impressed with Mark’s dedication, hard work and love for the brotherhood, they immediately accepted him into the station, even without his mom’s signature. I did not know this until his 16th birthday that he had forged my signature.

Thursday, March 24, 2022 started off like any other day. I was getting ready for work and Markie was getting up for school. He did not feel good, he had an upset stomach, so I told him I would let him stay home from school that day. That day, his Uncle Craig came to visit him with his two younger cousins and
talked all about the trip Markie and his grandma were taking in 2 weeks to Texas for spring break. Then later that day, Markie talked to close to 20 of his closet friends through snapchat, texting and even FaceTime. Nobody, including me, noticed anything different. He was on and off the phone until about
3:00 that day. After that nobody could get a hold of him, but nobody was worried because Mark had not shown any signs of suicide. He was a little more consumed with his phone, his privacy, his girlfriend and his friends than he was with his momma or school work. I came home from work and still could not find him, I was calling him, calling his friends and then began looking through the house. At about 4:45 that
afternoon I found Markie, but it was too late. That day is a blur in many ways but is permanently burned into my brain. Markie was my first born, best friend, rock and my baby. That day my life changed forever and so did the life of many in our family, our community of Plum and within many fire departments.
From that day forward, I vowed as a way of honoring Mark and ensuring no other family has to live through this hell and to help support emergency responders get the help they so desperately need.