Friends, family and loved ones gathered Wednesday evening to honor the life of Ronnie \u201cPointy Boots\u201d Mathis, one of Corpus Christi\u2019s most recognizable figures, during a visitation on the city\u2019s Southside.<\/p>\n
The visitation was held at Maxwell P. Dunne Funeral Home along Yorktown Boulevard, where those who knew him came together to share stories and remember a man known for his signature style, humor and kindness.<\/p>\n
Mathis died March 19 after a battle with stage four prostate cancer, according to longtime friend and Big Bertha Foundation founder Pete Trevino.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith profound joy and a heart full of love, my best friend spread his wings today and took flight into eternal bliss,\u201d Trevino said.<\/p>\n
For years, Mathis was a familiar sight across the Coastal Bend, often seen riding his bike in his trademark pointy boots, cowboy hat and colorful outfits \u2014 bringing smiles to strangers and friends alike.<\/p>\n
Inside the funeral home Wednesday, loved ones reflected on the impact Mathis had on their lives.<\/p>\n
Maxie Dennis, Mathis\u2019 niece, said she will remember her uncle for his humor and personality.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe always loved to barbecue,\u201d Dennis said. \u201cHe told me to try this chicken — and it wasn\u2019t chicken. It was tongue. I was mad at him for a very long time for tricking me.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said beyond the jokes, people continue to describe Mathis as someone who was always authentic.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was just himself all the time,\u201d Dennis said. \u201cHe didn\u2019t try to be anybody else. He was always Uncle Ronnie.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trevino, who spent significant time with Mathis in the final year of his life, said their daily routine often included sharing meals at local restaurants, where he would listen as Mathis told stories about his life.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was like a grandson listening to his grandfather,\u201d Trevino said. \u201cSometimes I\u2019d be laughing, sometimes I\u2019d be in tears.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said those conversations revealed the depth of Mathis\u2019 experiences — from his time serving in the United States Army during the Vietnam War to his personal struggles and growth.<\/p>\n
Trevino said Mathis\u2019 impact often came through simple, personal interactions.<\/p>\n
He recalled a story shared with him about a man struggling with addiction who said a brief conversation with Mathis changed his life.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said it was so impactful that he just stopped — cold turkey,\u201d Trevino said. \u201cRonnie told him he was somebody, that someone loved him — that he loved him. That stuck with him.”<\/p>\n
He described Mathis as someone who represented the spirit of Corpus Christi.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you think about Corpus, yes, you think about Selena — but you also think about Mr. Ronnie.,\u201d Trevino said.<\/p>\n
Despite becoming a local icon, Trevino said Mathis never viewed himself that way.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou couldn\u2019t tell Ronnie he was a celebrity,\u201d he said. \u201cHe would say he was just a regular guy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dennis said her uncle\u2019s message moving forward is simple.<\/p>\n
\u201cBe your own person,\u201d she said. \u201cNot a copycat.\u201d<\/p>\n
His funeral service is scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday at Calvary First Baptist Church, followed by burial at Coastal Bend State Veterans Cemetery.<\/p>\n
A fundraiser benefiting Mathis\u2019 family is scheduled for April 3 at House of Rock, with proceeds going directly to support his loved ones.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s in a better place now,\u201d Trevino said, \u201cand his code of love and friendship will forever be etched in my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Friends, family and loved ones gathered Wednesday evening to honor the life of Ronnie \u201cPointy Boots\u201d Mathis, one…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":201162,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[7256,155,157,156,51510,89419],"class_list":{"0":"post-231211","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-corpus-christi","8":"tag-coastal-bend","9":"tag-corpus-christi","10":"tag-corpus-christi-headlines","11":"tag-corpus-christi-news","12":"tag-pointy-boots","13":"tag-uncle-ronnie"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=231211"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231211\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/201162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=231211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=231211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=231211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}