Matthew W Weikert

WEIKERT KIEL

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 11/3/2010 at 15:57:22

Sioux City Journal
23 July 2010

SIOUX CITY -- SSG Matthew W. Weikert, 29, of Jacksonville, Ill., formerly of Sioux City, was mortally wounded on Saturday, July 17, 2010, while serving with the U.S. Army near Orgun, Afghanistan.

Services will be 11 a.m. Monday at the Buchanan and Cody Funeral Home in Jacksonville. Burial will be in Liberty Cemetery, west of Jacksonville, with military rites. The family will meet friends from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. Friends are invited to share memories online at buchanancody.com.

He was born May 15, 1981, in Sioux City, the son of Richard W. "Dick" and Susan B. (Kiel) Weikert. Matthew was a member of the Jacksonville High School Class of 2000, a former member of the JHS soccer team. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville.

He joined the U.S. Marine Corps in August 2001, serving three tours in Iraq over four years. He later joined the U.S. Army, serving with the 101st Airborne. He completed a tour in Iraq and was currently deployed in Afghanistan. As a military team leader, Matt was adamant that his personal mission was to properly prepare the soldiers under his command and keep them safe from harm. In his spare time, Matt enjoyed hunting pheasant with his grandfather, playing golf with his family and friends and spending time with his son, Jayse.

He is survived by his parents of Jacksonville; a son, Jayse Schaecher Weikert of South Jacksonville, Ill.; two sisters, Meghan Weikert and Melissa Weikert, both of Jacksonville; the mother of his son, Megan Schaecher of South Jacksonville; his girlfriend, Danica Schild of Greenfield, Ill.; his maternal grandparents, the. Rev. Wesley and Nell Kiel of Holland, Mich.; his paternal grandparents, Richard A. "Dick" and Virginia Weikert of Sioux City; five aunts and uncles, Cathy Dartman of Creighton, Neb., Kim Weikert-Moner of Georgetown, Mass., Steven Kiel (wife, Sheryl) of Longview, Wash., Sheryl Mallehan (husband, Dave) of Holland, Mich., and Scott Kiel (wife, Cathy) of Bloomington, Ill.; and numerous cousins.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts are suggested to the Weikert Education Fund at Jacksonville Savings Bank.