Carolyn Jean Matkovich

Carolyn Jean Matkovich was born on September 16, 1939. She was the second child and second daughter of her parents Kermit and Eva (Robinson) Kincaid of Knoxville, IA. She attended school there and enjoyed studying, being a member of the 6-woman basketball team playing as a guard, falling in love with Elvis Presley and his music and twirling the baton as a majorette in the band. Carolyn would twirl her baton for years to come at family events and parties and when her baton was not available, she would go to any garage and pick out an appropriate metal pipe to twirl. She graduated in 1957 from Knoxville High School and began one of her first professional jobs as an Assistant at the National Travelers Insurance Company in Des Moines. She kept this position up to her first pregnancy.

On December 6, 1958, she married Donald Matkovich. She continued to live in Knoxville with him, but they eventually decided to move to Melcher. She is the mother of two sons, Martin Matkovich (Frank Altese) and Anthony Matkovich (Leigh Ann). She is also grandmother to Anthony and Leigh Ann’s children, Andrew and Molly. During her time staying home and being a mother, she always lived a “modern woman” life where she did things expected of a woman of her time, as well as things that were not. She could take care of everyone through her cooking, cleaning and laundry efforts. However, she could also throw a mean baseball, was an excellent shot with her rifle, loved to dance and sing and always went fishing when she could. She was also the luckiest of gamblers with a “system” she believed could trick slot machines into paying out money. Also, during this time, Carolyn dabbled in politics, helped at school events and assisted in many fund-raising activities.

When her sons were older and in high school, Carolyn began working again and eventually ended up with a long career at Prime Alliance in Des Moines where she worked her way up to a Purchasing Agent until she retired. It was during her time with Prime Alliance that she and Donald moved to the South side of Des Moines in 1989. In retirement, Carolyn kept active and is one of the few people who can say they saw all recorded episodes of the “Law and Order” franchise…….10 times.

Carolyn passed away on May 23, 2025 at the Good Samaritan Society in Indianola. The family would like to thank everyone there for taking wonderful care of her.

Carolyn was preceded in death by her husband, as well as her parents and her sister Verna (Douglas) and her brother Roy. She is survived by her sons, Martin (Frank Altese) and Anthony (Leigh Ann) and her grandchildren, Andrew and Molly.

A memorial service will be held to remember her on Tuesday, June 3, 2025 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Hamilton’s Southtown Funeral Home, 5400 SW 9th Steet in Des Moines. A private burial will occur at Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery in Melcher.

Carolyn was an avid pet lover and she and her dog Roxy took care of each other up until the end. In lieu of flowers, the family would encourage donations to a no-kill animal shelter or rescue facility of your choice in her name or please feel free to buy your favorite animal a toy and tell them that it is from Carolyn.

Condolences may be expressed at www.HamltonsFuneralHome.com.

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