John Matthew Bryant Dupuy

John Matthew Bryant (“Matt”) Dupuy was born in Corpus Christi, Texas on December 20, 1973 and passed peacefully in Dallas on August 9, 2016 after a 15 month battle with cancer. There will never be another Matt Dupuy. He was first and foremost a loving and supportive husband to Sylvia, his wife of 10 years, whom he celebrated and cherished and a loving , proud and engaged father of 2 year old Joshua Michael. From an early age, Matt loved movies. He became obsessed with the Star Wars series in his youth, which led to a lifetime passion for film. He had aspirations of being an actor in his early twenties, and would often recite Jack Nicholson’s “You can’t handle the truth” monologue from a “Few Good Men” verbatim, whether or not you wanted to hear it. He loved Denzel Washington, especially his role in “Man on Fire”, leading him to name a cat “Creasy” after watching the film. He was also a fan of television in his early life, especially the series “Dallas”, leading him to nickname everyone, regardless of gender, “Larry” after his hero Larry Hagman. Matt was also extremely passionate about sports. He never forgave Bud Adams for moving his beloved Houston Oilers to Tennessee, and refused to root for the Titans in any capacity. He could easily tell you the “line” or the “over under” on any major sporting event, and he could hang with even the most obsessed sports aficionados. After moving from Austin to Dallas in 1990, Matt relinquished his love for the San Antonio Spurs in favor of the underdogs of the late 1980’s, the Dallas Mavericks. Always a proponent for the little man, he found favor in Texas Rangers in the early 90’s as well. His last few evenings were spent watching the Rangers on TV. He was excited about the prospect of the Rangers being in the playoffs again this year. Matt’s zeal for the underserved in society began with the integration of schools in the Austin Independent School District in the mid 1980’s. Beginning in third grade, Matt was bussed from the West Austin Tarrytown neighborhood to East Austin’s racially diverse Zavala Elementary. This multicultural experience spoke to him, as he then chose to attend East Austin’s Martin Junior High and the Liberal Arts Magnet at Johnston High School before moving to Dallas in 1990. Matt excelled as a student at Highland Park High School, playing varsity football and singing in the school choir. Matt attended both the University of Kansas and then the University of Pittsburgh, graduating from Pitt with honors with a major in Sociology and a minor in Spanish. His early experiences in education spoke to his conscience, and after college he pursued a teaching certificate. He taught math in the Dallas, Austin, and Mesquite Independent School Districts (mostly in the inter-city) until the birth of Joshua. He was very creative and passionate in the classroom. Matt was as interested in the students’ well- being as their success with math. He wore his heart on his sleeve, and was constantly searching for that child who might be forgotten or left behind. Matt met Sylvia in the mid- 1990s while they were both employed at a movie theater. Sharing a passion for film and equally bizarre senses of humor, the spark between them lit their flame for life. True love is hard to come by, but for Matt and Sylvia it was never in question. They were married in 2006, and lived in Austin before moving back to Dallas in 2012. Matt radiated love and compassion, and never met a stranger in all of his 42 years. His ears were always ready to listen to whomever was talking, carefully considering their perspective, and always without judgement or jealousy. Matt spent a significant part of his time in chemo treatments engaging with other patients—giving them encouragement and hearing their stories. He was on a first name basis with and cared about many of the medical staff at the Sammons Cancer Center. He always expressed his appreciation for their care. It was clear that they loved him and he them. In facing cancer Matt demonstrated his strong character and determination to live fully. In addition to Sylvia and Joshua, he is survived by parents Bob and Virginia Dupuy, brother Will Dupuy, sister-in-law Cary Dupuy, nephew Baxter Dupuy, niece Lillia Dupuy, father and mother-in-law Humberto and Maria Ramos, aunts and uncles Alice Hyde and Chris Lackner and Shelley and JW Dupuy, and cousins Jake Dupuy and Dorothy Carlson. Matt loved being a member of the Ramos, Dupuy, Hyde, Caven, Sedberry and Walker families and always enjoyed family gatherings. In addition to his family, Matt leaves behind a large community of close friends. The family requests, in lieu of flowers, donations to Epilepsy Foundation of Texas (2401 Fountain View Drive, Suite 900, Houston. Texas 77057) or to a charity of the donor’s choice. A mass celebrating his life will be held in the sanctuary of The Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe, 2215 Ross Avenue, Dallas Texas at 2 pm on August 17, 2016.