Daniel died Oct. 5, 2012. He was born March 9, 1995.
Daniel lives now as he was meant to be. Although he was limited in this life, Daniel had a joy that most of us lost long before we were old enough to remember that we once had it. He was always enthralled by a story at bedtime. He was always amazed by the gumball machine. He was always delighted to find that Winnie the Pooh was still under his covers when he went to sleep. He was always a believer in the basic goodness and kindness of people. He was always forgiving when you hurt his feelings through no fault of his own but because you carried the weight of the world on your shoulders and took it out on him. He was always happy to see you, even when you let him down because you forgot that he would gladly choose to carry his own burdens if he could. He was always willing to open his arms and his heart. He was always completely and totally in love with you. He was always a little boy who never found the road to becoming an adult and was the better person because of it. Our lives will never be the same without him and we long for the day that we see him again.
Survivors include his parents, Jennifer and Chance Roden, of Killeen; brothers, James and Matthew Mataska and Thomas, Ethan and Austin Roden, of Killeen; his father, Johnnie Mataska; grandparents, Ken and Susan Coen, of Killeen, Debbie and Charles Reese, of Austin, John and Lynda Roden, of Killeen, and Barbara and Walt Tindell, of Killeen; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.
A viewing is from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Crawford-Bowers Funeral Home in Killeen, which is in charge of arrangements.
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