Matthew David

Thomas Matthew David, also known as Captain Matagorda Matt, passed away too soon on May 27, 2025, at the age of 45. Born in Tyler, Texas, on September 4, 1979, Matthew lived in Quitman, TX, and moved to Houston in 1990 when he was ten years old. Matthew attended Mirabeau B. Lamar High School and later earned his GED. He graduated from the University of Houston, earning a bachelor’s degree in business. His first business was K.O. Landscaping Company in Houston; the K.O. meant “knock it out". He went on to found “No Slack Guide Service” in the Matagorda Bay area. At an early age, Matthew loved nature and the outdoors, whether it was going to the Lakehouse at Camp Creek or his grandparents’ Lake Livingston home, fishing with his dad and brothers in East Texas, or spending his summers at Granny Evelyn’s Galveston Bay house. It is here where he developed his deep love for everything hunting and fishing, and honed his skills to become the great angler and Captain he was. When he was eleven years old, he held the CCA record for the largest Sheepshead for a young angler. His brother Stephen will tell you that he taught him everything about fishing and hunting. Matthew’s smile and laughter were contagious; he never met a stranger. He loved his family and his clients, who were like family to him. He truly cared about how you were doing, whether you needed help, or he’d check up on you to make sure you were okay. Matthew prayed to receive Christ as his Savior when he was eleven. He would tell you that he renewed his relationship with God in the past three years. He was a member of a Christian men’s group in the Bay City area and joined the Second Baptist Cypress campus this year. Every day, Matthew posted a Bible verse or a devotional to his Facebook page. He always said, “Have a blessed day". In April of this year, Matthew attended a Men’s Christian Encounter weekend called “Tres Dias". He looked forward to that weekend, and he was not disappointed. We want to thank all his friends who ministered to and loved Matthew in his darkest moments. We thank his physicians and their staff, Dr. Tran, Dr. Nguyen, Dr. Woody, and Elizabeth Fisher, for the care you provided over the years. We know that he is now with his Savior and with those who have gone before him, and probably teaching them how to tie a fishing knot. Survived by his mother, Sally Gray (husband, Jeff Gray) of Houston, father, Larry David of Surfside, brothers Michael David of Houston and Stephen David (wife, Dr. Ava David) of Columbus, Ohio, and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins, and his beloved dog Rip. He is preceded in death by his maternal grandfather, Dr. Tom Moore; his maternal grandmother, Evelyn Moore; his step-grandmother, Katherine Moore; and his paternal grandparents, Dorothy and John Shackelford. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Capt. Matt’s memory to Hook Spit Junior Anglers Association, 1247 Butler Road, League City, TX 77573, or CCA Texas, 6919 Portwest Drive, Suite 100, Houston, TX 77024. We invite you to Matthew’s Celebration of Life Service on Tuesday, June 24, at 11 am at Houston’s First Baptist Church, 7401 Katy Freeway, Houston, TX 77024—reception to follow. You will forever be in our hearts.

Matthew David

September 4, 1979 - May 27, 2025