Gladys Mattson
courtesy photo
Gladys Mattson
RONAN - Gladys Rose Zach Mattson passed away peacefully at the age of 105, Nov. 14, 2024, in Ronan. Gladys was preceded in death by her husband, Toivo Matt Mattson; her father, Joseph Thomas Zach; mother, Ella Elizabeth Bistricky; brothers, Vernon Joseph Zach and Ernest Milton Zach; and daughter in-law, Cynthia Mattson.
Born on Aug. 12, 1919, on a 160 acre farm in Johnson County, Iowa, near the town of Swisher. Gladys was beloved by family and friends. She forever considered herself a “farm girl who liked her hands in the dirt.” Gladys was the first female to attend Shueyville High School, commuting there on horseback and driving one of the area’s first automobiles. She went on to study business at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Her intelligence and self-sufficiency garnered her diverse experiences such as a school teacher in Iowa, then as an accountant in Cedar Rapids until World War II, where she contributed significantly as a master draftswoman at Douglas Aircraft in El Segundo, California. Gladys then dedicated her life to homemaking, raising her six children on a farm in Dayton, Minnesota, and working as a seamstress/tailor at a men’s clothing store. She served on the school board and as a custodian at Dayton Public School, and as an after school tutor near her retirement home in Texas.
She treasured her family, traveling annually to care for grandchildren and teach them cooking and sewing while instilling in them her wit and moral compass. In 2013 Gladys moved to Ronan with her son, Dane. She later was well looked after at St. Luke Extended Care.
She is survived by her children, Gayle Mattson Kollitz (Jim), Dane Mattson (Peggy), Jan Mattson (Cindy), Kim Mattson (Sherril), Mark Mattson (Judy), and Earl Mattson (Alva); her twelve grandchildren (Annessa and Jolene Mattson), and eight great-grandchildren.
The family is very thankful to the staff at St. Luke Extended Care for all the love and supportive care they gave Gladys. Contributions in memory of Gladys can be directed to St. Luke Extended Care c/o Resident Council. Cremation has taken place; a family service is planned at Dupont Cemetery near Swisher, Iowa, with the date to be determined.
