Matter, Leonard Wilfred -- 1917 - 1993

MATTER, STOSKOPF, SIMONSON, LANSING, SENSOR, LANDSWERK, KEEFE

Posted By: Bill Waters (email)
Date: 1/9/2012 at 15:16:14

Leonard Wilfred Matter, 75, of Decorah, died Jan. 16, 1993, at the Winneshiek County Memorial Hospital of natural causes.

Funeral services were Jan. 20 at French and Balik Funeral Home, with the Rev. John Halvorson officiating. Mr. Matter donated his body to the University of Iowa for medical research.

Honorary pallbearers were Fred Losen, Isadore Meyer, Lester Seim, Willard Sorenson, Henry Montgomery, Ernest Heying, Fidelis Schmitt and Truman Hovey. Alan Sensor was organist at the services.

He was born Aug. 5, 1917, in Decorah, the son of John and Emma (Stoskopf) Matter. He attended local schools. He served in the U.S. Air Corps from 1943 to 1945 and was a bomber pilot and second lieutenant. He was one of two crew survivors when their B-24 bomber was shot down over southern Germany. He was a prisoner of war for nine months, and was the recipient of the Air Medal and Purple Heart.

He married Carol Jean Simonson Feb. 17, 1943, at Oelwein. He was a lifelong Decorah resident and operated Matter’s Ballroom north of Decorah. He was a member of Decorah Lutheran Church and VFW.

Survivors include his wife, Carol Jean of Decorah; three children, John Matter of Decorah, Michael and Susan Matter, both of Minneapolis, MN; his grandchildren, Erica Matter of Iowa City, Jennifer Matter at home, both children of John and Suzanne Matter; two brothers, Elmer and Roger of Decorah, and five sisters, Florence of Mason City, Alma Harvey of Decorah, Margaret Sorenson of Decorah, Ethel of Decorah, and Bernice Landswerk of Maple Plain, MN.

Proceeding him in death were his parents; two brothers, Walter and Willard (in infancy); and a sister, Hattie .

Source: John Matter jmatter@q.com

Locust Cemetery aka Saint John
 

Winneshiek Obituaries maintained by Bruce Kuennen.
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