Steven L Mattern

Plainview- Funeral services for Steven L. Mattern age 61 of Plainview will be held at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, May 19th at the First Congregation United Church of Christ in Plainview.  Visitation will be from 5-7 P.M. Tuesday at the Church.  Burial will be in the Grimton Cemetery of rural Orchard.  Steve passed away at the CHI Plainview Hospital May 14, 2021.

Steven Lee Mattern, loving husband, caring father, master of dad jokes and loyal friend, of Plainview, Nebraska, died unexpectedly on May 14, 2021, at the age of 61.

He was born August 9, 1959, in Plainview, to Mona (Grosse) and Larry Mattern. He attended Grant Elementary School in Norfolk and graduated from Orchard High School in 1977. There, he played football and basketball, ran track, sang in the choir and played the tuba. He married Jolene (Walnofer) Schilousky on August 4, 1979. They raised two daughters, Erin and Stephanie, and one son, Mitchell.

He married Cindy (Kruger) Mattern on July 5, 2000. Steve was a fun-loving spouse who enjoyed road trips, grooving to oldies on his 8-track player and hitting the green for golf tournaments. He rooted for the Chicago Cubs and visited Wrigley Field for his 60 ^th birthday. On Sundays, he watched NASCAR, which might explain his lead foot. He was clever – he rarely skipped the daily crossword and never met a Sudoku he couldn’t solve.

Steve took pride in his work ethic. He started his career making cheese at the Orchard Dairy Products factory in Orchard. He spent 24 years with 3M (later Arnold Engineering) in Norfolk before finding a home as the Utilities Manager, or “the water guy,” at Husker Ag in 2003.

Steve was a devoted father, always guiding his children. Flat tire? Call dad. Broken heart? Call dad. He bestowed many dadisms including: “If you’re not five minutes early, you’re late” and “nothing good ever happens after midnight.” He adored his grandkids and took them for spins in the golf cart, slipped them crisp $50s at Christmas and taught them to shoot and fish.

Friends and family knew they could always count on Steve. He even built a tavern in his barn, where he could share beers, shuffleboard games and memories with Craig, Kyle and anyone else lucky enough to call him a friend.

Grateful for having shared his life are his wife, Cindy; his daughters, Erin Lutz and her husband Robb of Roca; Stephanie Mattern and her husband, Lester Maertins, of Norfolk; his son, Mitchell and his wife, Courtney, of Omaha; and his stepdaughter Jessica Willer and her husband, Chris, of Norfolk. He’s also survived by his mother, Mona; his brothers, Greg Mattern and his wife, Shari; and Kevin Mattern and his wife, Loretta; and his grandchildren, Bryce, Caleb, Abigail, Emerson, Draven, Korbin, Weston, Sydney, Lukas, Jace and Cole.

Steve is preceded in death by his father, Larry, and his grandparents, Ilene (Larson) and Eddie Mattern; and Luella (Hines) and Edgar Grosse.

Visitation is May 18 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Congregational Church in Plainview. A funeral service is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on May 19 at the church with burial to follow at Grimton Cemetary in Orchard. As Steve would say – don’t be late.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations to the American Heart Association or that you do something kind for your neighbor. ­