Jerald "Jerry" Lee Matteson

Jerald (Jerry) Lee Matteson August 22, 1940 - November 26, 2016 Jerry Lee Matteson passed away on Saturday, November 26, 2016 at 4:00 PM at the age of 76. He is survived by his wife Donna, his sister Sharon, his son Nick, his son Scott, his daughter Angie, his son Ned, ten grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. Jerry was born in Astoria, Oregon. He lived in Seaside, Warrenton, Hammond, Spray, Stanfield, Vernonia, Yamhill, Salem, and Portland. He was an outstanding athlete. In high school, Jerry lettered all four years in football and baseball. He was known for hitting countless home runs. He was offered full scholarships to Harvard, Stanford, and University of Oregon for his outstanding test scores. He was a Duck for a short time, but became a devoted Oregon State Beaver fan. He passed away during the Beavers victory in the Civil War game. He was one of the hardest workers who ever lived. He began working in the 5th grade, pulling nails from boards for his father’s construction business. Before he was even in high school, he could perform any function in the family slaughterhouse. By the time he was a junior in high school, he could complete any function in the building of a home. He held too many jobs to list over the period of his life, but notably he owned a landscaping business, a rock pit business, and a boiler business. He was a water treatment specialist for many years before retiring for a very brief period. He came out of retirement to work with his son, Ned. Even when he wasn’t at work, he was working. Anyone who has seen Jerry and Donna’s back yard can attest to that. When Jerry was twenty-three he was drafted into the Army. He attended engineering school before shipping off to Germany. He applied to helicopter school, but after passing everything else, he was ultimately rejected because he didn’t have 20/20 vision. After serving his country, Jerry moved to Seaside where he began dating Donna. He loved her kids, Kathy, Nick, and Scott so much that even during periods when they weren’t dating, Jerry would ask to come visit the kids because he missed them too much. After they were married, Jerry fulfilled one of his dreams by adopting Kathy, Nick, and Scott. There has never been, nor will there ever be again, a man who loved his family more than Jerry Matteson. He was a great man. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, December 3 at the New Hope Church located at 11731 SE Stevens Rd, Happy Valley, OR 97086. Service Information