Mata family adjusts a 'new normal' without Tess after Uvalde shooting

Nov 22, 2023

A mural of Tess Marie Mata. Tess was one of the 19 students killed during the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Texas State University multimedia journalism staff

UVALDE – The fabric of the Mata family is shattered and will never be the same.

The slaying of 10-year-old Tess at Robb Elementary School in the middle of a residential neighborhood has crushed Veronica Mata, Tess's mother.

"It's rocked our world; it's our family is no longer the family that we were before, we're different," said Mata, 46, a kindergarten teacher. "The way we communicate with each other the way we do things – even to the simplest things of how we wake up in the morning, our routines; it's just everything's different, everything is totally changed to a new normal."

Tess was one of the 19 students killed during a mass shooting at the elementary school May 24 during a gunman's rampage through two fourth grade classrooms. Two teachers also were killed.

"Some days are easier, some days are hard; we just kind of take it day by day," Mata said.

Mata's face lights up as she speaks about Tess, mostly in the present tense.

Tess's father, Jerry Mata said: "I mean, she was just different, she was outgoing, and she was real. She would speak up when she needed to."

Tess Mata was described by her family as the little diva of the household, a loving and energetic little girl who always was full of life. Tess had a passion for softball, loved to sing and dance, and play dress up with her family.

She eventually wanted to attend Texas State University like her older sister, Faith Mata. Tess was described as many things, but, as described by her mother, her first title was a younger sibling.

The sisters loved each other, but often were in full discussion. "She would call us during the time that we're cooking dinner, so we're sitting there just talking, and she just has like a full-on argument with Faith over the phone," Veronica Mata said as she shook her head and smiled.

The parents encouraged their daughters to pursue their dreams. Tess was only 10 years old and was really into paramedic and fire station shows on TV, which led her family to believe she likely would have pursued a career in medicine or as a veterinarian.

"I feel like it was going to be either helping animals or helping people," Veronica Mata said.

Jerry Mata, 47, smiles broadly as he recalls his younger daughter.

"Mine would be a lot of singing in the car with her," he said of his memories of her. "She always had these songs that she loved."

It seemed like time has stood still for the Mata family as if Tess didn't die nearly a year ago, but yesterday.

Veronica Mata was teaching kindergarten at a Uvalde school when her campus was put on lockdown. She thought it was just a normal lockdown like any other time. She learned about the Robb Elementary shooting by chance as a co-worker received an email about the attack. Veronica Mata informed her husband of the shooting and asked him to go to Robb Elementary.

As he arrived, he noticed all the officers from the different law enforcement entities covered in paramilitary gear. He heard gunshots shortly after he arrived. Adrenaline kicked in and fear began to set in, he said.

"Your heart starts to pump; you start sweating," Jerry Mata said.

Parents moved to the back of the school where children were fleeing as officials surrounded the building. He gave Tess's name and description in case officials were to hear anything about her.

"I felt like I was in a war movie," Jerry Mata said.

The Mata family waited for any sign that their daughter was safe. It never came. Jerry Mata saw all the different law enforcement officials standing outside the school, and the only thought that passed his mind was, "So many of y’all, and nobody could do a thing."

An email was received explaining everyone was safe and secure. Finally that sign of relief had arrived, for a brief moment. What followed was the overwhelming – a lengthy search for Tess.

They started at Uvalde's civic center, followed by a search at the Uvalde hospital. Tears flowed down Veronica Mata's cheeks: "We found out at about 11:30 that night."

"It was as if someone was ripping your heart out," she said.

Jerry Mata said he knew his daughter wasn't coming home.

"We had gotten swabbed at the Civic Center," he said with an ironic chuckle. "It took the cake with all the families when they came in there and the DA's like, ‘I need to swab all the parents.’"

The Mata family went through drastic change after Tess was taken from them, but that's not the change they want to see. Jerry Mata said laws need to change.

"We're trying to just make commonsense laws, 18 to 21, red flag laws," he said. "It's going to be hard because this is a red state."

Texas Legislature: Uvalde families testify to raise purchasing age for AR-15-style guns. Here's what's proposed

23 photos

View the full gallery

Memorial stands in Uvalde, Texas one year after mass shooting: See photos

A memorial stands in Uvalde, Texas where 19 students and two teachers were killed in a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School.

After the loss of their child, the Mata family is fighting for the future generation of kids, so that no mother or father must go through what they went through. It's an uphill battle for this family, but it's a battle they’ll never stop fighting.

"I think it would make us feel that Tess and all of her friends, teachers, didn't die for nothing," Veronica Mata said. "Like I have to believe that there's a reason that this happened to them.

"To protect our kids, the future kids, it has to be done."

Family members said they wish they could have Tess for just a few minutes more.

"I would tell her that I love her," Veronica Mata said as she begins to get so chocked up she can barely get the words out.

"And that Daddy was there, Daddy was outside the building while everything was happening," Jerry Mata added. "She wasn't alone; Daddy was there."