Family and Friends Remember Eddie Gutierrez

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – It was a day of mourning at Santa Maria High School on Wednesday. Family, friends, staff and students all gathered there to pay respect to Eddie Gutierrez, the popular girls basketball coach and campus security coordinator who died on Sunday due to an abdominal aneurysm. His unexpected death has left many in the community saddened by the sudden loss.

“Disbelief, really, disbelief, just unbelievable, way too young, way to young,” said his older brother Mike Gutierrez.

The Gutierrez family was invited by school officials to visit the campus and view the large memorial that has been created in his honor just outside Wilson Gym.

“We’re seeing that from just the outpouring from the community,” said his sister Martie Gutierrez. “The students and it didn’t surprise me at all because that’s the kind of person that he was. He was always there for the kids and always thought about what he could do help them.”

Principal Joe Domingues, who hired Gutierrez 5 years ago, says he was a tireless worker who served the school with distinction.

“He was involved with clubs, he was involved with the youth, he was involved with athletics, with the basketball teams, he was involved with just the campus culture as a whole. This was his home,” said Domingues.

Domingues added Gutierrez was a vital part of “Saint Pride,” a program created to instill campus wide sense of community.

“He just wasn’t just here as a security coordinator,” said Domingues. “He was everything, he was completely immersed into the Saint culture at Santa Maria High School.”

For students and athletes, they all say Gutierrez was a positive role model everyone at the high school admired and respected.

“Eddie was a friend to us,” said senior Cristal Robles. “He would greet us, he would remember us all by name and if we talked to him about something, he would say ‘how are you doing with this?’ He would take care of us.”

“We did not see him more as a coach, but more like a father figure. He would always put his girls and us before anyone,” said senior basketball player Anahi Sanchez.

“If he saw you sad, one of his things that he would say was smile, there’s always something better coming up tomorrow,” said senior Perla Barajas.

Gutierrez lived in the Santa Maria area most of his life and was a graduate of St. Louis de Montefort School, as well as St. Joseph High School. Prior to his three seasons as girls varsity coach at Santa Maria, he was also the girls coach at Pioneer Valley.

He was 48 years old at the time of his death. He leaves behind several family members, including two teenage daughters, who both attend Orcutt schools. A benefit fund for his daughters has been established at Rabobank.

The family announced a mass and viewing has been scheduled at St. Louis de Montefort Church in Orcutt for Friday at 8:00 p.m. A mass at the church will be held Saturday at 9:00 a.m., followed by a burial at Santa Maria Cemetery.

There is also a taco fundraiser to help Gutierrez’s daughters, scheduled for Saturday March 7 at the Orcutt Youth Softball Fields behind Lakeview, starting at 9 a.m.