Pillar of Tri-Cities soccer community remembered for ‘always lending a hand’
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- Nery Mateo balanced year‑round farmwork with youth soccer coaching in Tri‑Cities.
- He ran a pre‑dawn van route to orchards while sustaining a long fieldwork shift.
- Mateo maintained sobriety for 25 years and mentored others across local communities.
A pillar of the Tri-Cities soccer community has died.
Nery Mateo helped children develop a lifelong love for soccer, coaching children ages 6-10 in indoor and outdoor soccer for the YMCA and Three Rivers Soccer Club.
He managed to find the time to coach and help others maintain their sobriety, despite long hours as a field worker.
He worked year round at FirstFruits Farms in Prescott, Wash., east of Pasco.
Mateo woke up at 3 a.m. most days. He’d start his van, leave home in Kennewick and pick up other field workers around the Tri-Cities before their shifts picking berries or pruning apple trees in Eastern Washington’s orchards. Usually, he didn’t get home until after 5 p.m.
He also was an active member of Alcoholics Anonymous. He was sober for 25 years and helped friends and others in the Tri-Cities, Yakima and Sunnyside who were struggling with alcohol or drug use and addiction.
His daughter Blanca Benitez told the Tri-City Herald that her father was a happy person and always willing to lend a helping hand.
Mateo died in Seattle on Sunday, Jan. 11, after a two-year battle with liver cancer and cirrhosis.
He was 64.
Mateo was a beloved father of five children, Blanca Benitez, Elmer Mateo, German Mateo, Sergio Hernandez and Javier Hernandez.
He was married to his wife, Lucila Benitez, for 30 years. They had nine grandchildren, with another on the way.
He was diagnosed with liver cancer in Nov. 2024, and treated with chemotherapy and radiation.
In October 2025, his health declined. Blanca said he felt sick and very tired.
He was hospitalized at University of Washington Medical Center - Northwest in Seattle in November and December. Lucila stayed with him during his hospital stay.
Doctors said the cancer was under control, but at the end of his life, he suffered from the effects of cirrhosis, kidney failure and high blood pressure.
Nery’s family is raising funds on GoFundMe to cover medical costs and support his wife who is now the family’s sole source of income.
Einan’s at Hillcrest, Pasco, is in charge of arrangements.
This story was originally published January 16, 2026 at 12:05 PM.
