Obituary
Donald “Don” Mattie
Donald “Don” Mattie, 67, of West Salem, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 14, at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse. He was born on December 17, 1951 to Donald and Violet Mattie. He married Sandy Hougen on Valentine’s day.
Don worked for his father at Huffman Trucking, spent a few years at Midwest gas, and then worked many, many years for the West Salem School District as a custodian. He was a woodworker and a “jack of all trades”. There wasn’t anything that he couldn’t fix . He was a huge fan of Star Trek and was a self-proclaimed “Trekkie”. Don loved animals, sometimes more than people, and to go for rides on his motorcycle.
Don is survived by his wife, Sandy; son, Barry Stetter; granddaughters, Brianna Stetter and Bronwyn Stetter; 3 great grandchildren; and many other extended family and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Donald and Violet Mattie.
The family would like to extend a thank you for the wonderful care the Gundersen Hospice provided. A celebration of his life will be held on Thursday, May 23, from 4 PM to 7 PM, in the Gathering Place at Coulee Region Cremation Group, 133 Mason St. , Onalaska.
I had a lot of fun working with Don at West Salem elementary and helped Don with many projects around his home .He will be missed
I was an old schoolmate of Don’s from kindergarten at Washburn to high school at Central. I remember him having been an astronaut at halloween at Washburn as well as his love of Star Trek in junior high at Lincoln with his Spock haircut. I thought if I were to see him again, even if he didn’t know me I would say to him with my hand raised with split fingers, “Live long and prosper Mr. Mattie. I’m sorry I won’t get to do that now Don is remembered by many, more than he might have ever known.