West Nile claims second Ennis victim

SHERRY LONG
The Ellis County Press

ENNIS - A second Ennis resident has died from complications from the West Nile Virus in less than a month.

Felix Mata, Sr., 69 died Friday, Aug. 15 at Baylor Medical Center in Dallas.

Ennis City Manager Steve Howerton said he received confirmation Mata did contract the West Nile Virus late last week from the Texas Department of Health.

He was born in San Benito on March 31, 1934 to Basilio and Delores Rodriquez Mata.

After six years of marriage, Mata and his wife, Beatrice, moved to Ennis where he began farming for H. R. Burden and the Kirkpatrick family.

A member of St. John Catholic Church, he also worked at the Ennis Care Center in the maintenance division, before retiring from the IOOF Nursing Home in 2001.

Mata is survived by his wife Beatrice; six sons, Robert Mata, Felix Mata, Miguel Mata, Carlos Mata, Ruben Mata, and Martin Mata; three daughters, Irma Letson, Sally Morales, Suzanna Sotelo; two brothers, Isidor Mata, and Faustino Mata; four sisters, Virginia Ortega, Estephna Garcia, Louisa Villegas, and Angelita Mata; 21 grandchildren and nine great grandkids.

Rudy A. Mata preceded his father in death on March 6, 2000.

After a rosary and burial service, Mata was laid to rest at the St. Joseph Cemetery in Ennis.

Nan McKay was the first Ennis victim of the West Nile Virus when she died on July 27.

This year's first West Nile death was Roy Jepson, a resident of Conroe, just north of Houston.

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