NEW ORLEANS— Renard Matthews was killed in New Orleans 2 weeks ago. He was a young 18 years old, and while the tragedy of losing him so young weighs heavy on his family, they chose to have his body prepared for Sunday afternoon’s wake in a way that they want to remember him.
At the Charbonnet Labat Glapion Funeral Home in Treme, Matthews was sitting in a chair, video game controller in hand, surrounded by his favorite snacks, and his beloved Boston Celtics on the television screen.
Matthew’s mother Temeka says her son was a bit of a homebody, who only recently started to venture out to walk the dog she’d recently gotten him. Temeka Matthews also said that her son was a big fan of Celtics guard Kyrie Irving.
Family and friends gathered for Sunday’s wake. Renard Matthews will be buried Tuesday.