Cover photo for John Matekel's Obituary
John Matekel Profile Photo
1933 John 2007

John Matekel

April 14, 1933 — May 20, 2007

Trenary
John Matekel, age 74, of N1050 Second Avenue, Trenary, died unexpectedly at Marquette General Hospital on Sunday, May 20, 2007 with his wife and children surrounding him. John was born on April 14, 1933 in Trenary to Frank and Mary (Praznik) Matekel. He graduated from Trenary High School and worked through Michigan State for the Michigan Artificial Breeders Co-op of East Lansing as a DHIA Technician. John married his love and best friend, Dolores M. Silta, on June 15, 1957. He attended Michigan Technological University to earn his Assessor's Certificate. Throughout his career, he studied to the Level Three in his profession. John began his assessing work for Ely Township and continued working for them until the time of his death. He also worked for Marquette Township, the City of Munising, and he retired from Alger County as the Equalization Director in 2001. John served as the Mathias Township Supervisor and on the Alger County Board of Commissioners and the Trenary and Superior Central School Boards. He was a member of St. Rita's Catholic Church in Trenary. John volunteered for forty-eight years on the Trenary Fire Department. He enjoyed gardening and had the most meticulous lawn in all of Trenary. John also liked to read, feed the birds, play cribbage, and support his Detroit Lions and Tigers. He had a true gift for razzing and teasing and he passed that chromosome down to his children. As a family, they enjoyed each other, loved to no limits, and loved to laugh.
He is survived by Dolores Matekel, his wife of fifty years in June (John would always let everyone know "the last two have been pretty good"); their children - Vickie (Mark) Isaacson of Gladstone, Steven (Eva) Matekel of Hillpoint, WI, and Michelle (Craig) Bahrke of Oconto, WI; former son-in-law - Scott Preston of Omaha, Nebraska; grandchildren - Jacob and Lauren Isaacson and Hannah and Kate Bahrke; two sisters - Mary (Walter) Tuuri of Kiva and Helen Matekel of Seattle, Washington; and numerous nieces and nephews. John was preceded in death by his parents, two daughters - Leann Marie in 1972 and Amy Jo in 2002, and two brothers Frank and Tony Matekel.
Friends may call at the Bowerman Funeral Home on Wednesday evening from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Father Jacek Wtyklo will celebrate a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Rita's Church in Trenary on Thursday, May 24, 2007 at 11:00 a.m. Interment will be at the Mathias Township Cemetery in Trenary. John will be escorted by Curt Hytinen, Richard Silta, Bob Brant, Scott Preston, John Ornatowski, and Ed Hendrickson.

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