Mary E. Matney

Mary Elizabeth Matney, 89, passed away at home on Saturday, April 23, 2016. Her final breath on earth came unexpectedly on a Saturday morning, just moments before she inhaled her first breath in paradise and eternity.

Mary was born on October 29, 1926, in Walnut, Illinois. She worked as a waitress at the Steak N’ Shake restaurant, located in Peoria, Illinois, and spoke often and so fondly of those days. She would move to Des Moines, Iowa in 1952, and found employment at the New Monarch plant where she would meet her future husband. She married Oral D. Matney (Chuck) on July 18, 1953, with whom she would celebrate 63 years of marriage.

In 1955, Mary became a full-time homemaker and gave life and her boundless love to three children: Dan Matney, Patsy Lehman, and Terri Earles, all of Des Moines. A finer mother they could never have asked for. She taught by example, and was loved by so many. Mary showered those who knew her with love, courtesy, and her own brand of kindness.

She would become a Sunday school teacher at Hope Lutheran Church and also enjoyed bowling, playing bingo, listening to country music (especially yodeling), her Wednesday night james where she often performed, and her beloved Chicago Cubs. She was a Hall-of-Fame member of the Professional Musicians & Entertainers Club of Iowa (P.M.E.C.I.), an organization that she was a member of for over 40 years. She served as Vice President of the P.M.E.C.I. for several years and just recently received their Lifetime Achievement award in 2015.

Besides her three children, she will be greatly missed by her husband, Oral, five grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her mother, Nellie Heuer, brother, Wilbur Heuer, and two sisters, Estelle Kolp and Laura Cox.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 27 at Hamilton’s Funeral Home, 605 Lyon Street, Des Moines. Funeral services will begin at 2:30 p.m., Thursday, April 28, also at Hamilton’s, with burial at Avon Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be directed to the family in loving memory of Mary.

Condolences may be expressed at:
www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com

“We thought there were so many ‘tomorrows’ yet to live, but now we must cherish all those ‘yesterdays’ that we shared so lovingly.”

“Weep not, for thy departed for they were not the body. They were the mind, the soul, they live, and love.”

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