Elishah Armando Quiterio

On Sunday, December 3, 2023, our beloved son, brother, cousin, uncle, and friend, Elishah Armando Quiterio, ended his struggles to be reunited with his mom, Chanta. The chronicle of the loss of this sweet and beautiful soul to suicide seems unfathomable, unreal, and even impossible. However, the reality of our loss is all too commonplace, and we choose to recognize that our broken hearts bear a responsibility to those suffering silently by sharing his story.

Elishah, or "Eli," as he was known, was born to Inigo Armando Quiterio and Chanta Quiterio on May 8, 2001, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Eli was the youngest of three children and as one would expect for the youngest, he was the sparkle in Chanta's eyes. In life, you can expect its ups and downs and at age 5, Eli turned what most would consider a difficult situation into a blessing in disguise; accepting a co-father and two brothers, Michael and Christopher, into his life when Chanta and Inigo divorced and Chanta later married James "Scooter" Peterson. Inigo has remained a part of the family throughout the kids' lives.

At a young age, Eli was an extremely gifted athlete. He LOVED skateboarding and biking, often emulating his older cousins, Tyler (17) and Andrew (15). Although older, he so enjoyed hanging out with them and learning stunts and tricks. Sadly, at the age of nine, Eli lost his hero, Tyler, to a tragic car accident on July 3, 2010. That loss weighed heavily on Elishah throughout his life, as he loved his cousin dearly. 

As difficult as that was, he again flipped that script to grow his relationships with his family and cousins. His cousin, Savannah, learned to snowboard because of Eli's love and patience... he was the only one that took the time to teach her. He loved her dearly and their bond ran deep. As young adults, whenever they got together for dinner, she would cook and his request would inevitably be the same; Steak, medium well, baked potato with sour cream and his favorite, Caesar salad... "don't f&%k it up."

With the family settled in their Sandy home, Eli began exploring his creative side. He loved designing shirts and logos with his friend Thiago where the two worked on designs together. They called their brand TESQ (Thiago Eli Sprunt Quiterio). Later, the two worked on a brand called Bornstar which included friends, Cody and Gabe. Thiago will miss him, "He was so intelligent and precise with his work on everything. He'll always be guiding our brands from above." 

Perhaps it was his eye for detail in design and fashion, but at some point, Eli began a love for shoes and hats, something he shared with Inigo. He loved his shoes and kept them in impeccable shape. So much, in fact, that he was the only one the family knew of that left the house wearing a "driving" shoe... there was no way in hell he was creasing a limited-edition Air Jordan pushing on the gas pedal!

To say he loved his mom, and that his mom loved him, is beyond an understatement. Eli was never too old to snuggle with his mom and the bond they shared made Dominique and his dad Scooter what some may call "just a little jealous." It was not uncommon for them to jibe Chanta and Eli about him getting a hot breakfast every morning and a lunch packed... those two sure didn't get that level of service but you can bet your ass Eli did! 

And music? He loved it. The shocking part was his love of country music. Living in a house with Scooter who pretty much always had what Eli called "dirty hippie music" or Mexican polkas playing, Eli somehow allowed that love of country to soak in. Because of this, Dominique always enjoyed car rides with him because it was her own personal country concert. We just didn't know when he found the time to learn all the lyrics -- yes, he knew ALL the lyrics -- because the only thing the family ever heard from him was Macklemore and Mac Miller! Dominique will sure miss those concerts and his lifelong habit of hopping on the bed to chat and snuggle. Homesick, by Kane Brown, was his favorite song.

Eli, along with his brothers and cousin, Andrew, loved to spend time outdoors. He gravitated towards Andrew to master skateboarding at the Sandy Skate Park. To put it lightly, he gave Andrew a run for his money. The boys also enjoyed trips into the "boonies" with Scooter to target shoot and run amuck -- something his stepdad had ample experience in! When his uncle Fitzgerald took the helm of the Price City Fire Department, Scooter and Eli enjoyed their time hanging with Fitz enjoying his side-by-side, shooting, and of course, Eli loved to sit and listen to the antics of what these two pulled in and out of Carbon County.

Elishah was a hard worker. In his early years of high school, he took a seasonal job at Target, and once the Christmas season ended, he was the only one they kept on. He worked with them through graduation before moving onto bigger and better things. Since he loved cars, he spent several years working in the auto repair business, learning to repair and reconstruct vehicles at Valley Collision. 

Eventually, Eli had the opportunity to begin work with his dad, Inigo, learning the plumbing trade. He enjoyed the "out of towners" with his dad and his dad's friend, Matt, plumbing larger jobs like hotels. Inigo and Eli loved to make each other laugh about what they thought was the most "stoooopid" s*#t, losing track of the number of times they would end up talking about nothing, but "everything" at the same time. 

On August 7, 2022, Eli's mom experienced a mental health crisis which resulted in an accidental overdose. After 4 days of life-saving efforts, Eli and his family gathered around Chanta as she peacefully passed at 12:33 PM on August 11, 2022. Her death was ruled a suicide. This, combined with the loss of his cousin(s) Tyler and Megan and his grandma, Denise, began a difficult time in his life. To stay ahead of the curve, Eli took great strides in self-improvement. He read extensively, engaged his stepdad Scooter in deep conversations, and went so far as to spend 10 days in Idaho learning the technique of Vipassana meditation. Nine of those ten days required noble silence, and of course, no electronics including phones. To say he was working hard to self-improve is putting it lightly. 

Eli's story came to an end in the morning hours of December 3, just over a day after his favorite uncle, Fitz, passed away after a courageous battle with cancer. Even in his darkest hours, Eli continued to show great compassion to his stepdad Scooter by expressing his sadness for him and Francie and relief for his uncle -- all the while, reeling with the pain of missing Chanta. A pain that, regrettably, runs so deep that it's almost undetectable. 

The holiday season, being a difficult time for most struggling with mental health issues, should be a time of peace, love, and happiness. Rather, it is often a time of loss, despair, and hopelessness. Elishah, defeated, drove a short distance from his home and took his life. Although his suffering has ended, it falls on all of us to remain diligent to those we love, ensuring that the vulnerable receive the care and dignity they deserve. Inigo was and always will be proud of his son.  He was a perfect mix of his parents; stubborn, rebellious, loving, beautiful, caring, and just all around AMAZING. Scooter will miss his talks and remain ever grateful that it was Eli that introduced him to the principals that allow him to face times like these with grace and dignity.

Elishah is survived by his father, Inigo Armando (Corina) Quiterio, father #2 James O. "Scooter" Peterson III, sister Dominique Brianne Quiterio, brother Christopher Nelson (Chloe) Peterson, brother Michael James Peterson, fur babies Chumlee and Khloe (his little princess), 3 cats, Blue (his roommate), Milo and Akila, 6 second-cousins, and multiple aunties, uncles, and cousins. It is noteworthy, however, to list aunt Amber Bishop and Aunt Lucinda (Dave) Campbell, as they have been a close part of this family throughout Eli's life, always present not only during the fun times, but more so in the bad.  He is preceded in death by the love of his life, his mom, Chanta M. Peterson, sister Kylie Mae Quiterio, grandmother Denise Martin, cousins Tyler Blais and Megan Blais, and uncle, Fitzgerald J. "Fitz" Petersen.

A celebration of life for both he and his mother, Chanta, will be held at McDougal Funeral Home located at 4330 S. Redwood Road in Taylorsville, Utah, on Thursday, December 14, 2023. The family will receive guests from 10:00 AM to 11:50 AM. Services will begin at 12:00 PM. After the memorial, we will travel a short distance to Murray City Cemetery for the interment and dedication of the grave at 5490 S. Vine St., Murray, Utah. https://www.mcdougaldfuneralhome.com/

In lieu of flowers, a GoFundMe page has been established at https://gofund.me/9c23b2a5. Funds will be utilized to cover funeral, family, and travel expenses, as well as support of Live On Utah and the Utah Suicide Prevention Coalition, Carbon County Animal Shelter, and Sub For Santa.

For those who would like to attend a candlelight vigil organized by Savannah and Dom Leas, it will be held this Thursday, December 7, 2023, at the Sandy Skate Park, 10140 South 700 East in Sandy, Utah. Friends and family will gather at 6:00 PM to celebrate Elishah and draw attention to the epidemic of suicide.