Dennis D. Matuska, 72, of Glencoe
Dennis D. Matuska, 72, of Glencoe, died Friday, March 20, 2015, at Harmony River Living Center in Hutchinson.
The funeral service will be Thursday, March 26, at 11 a.m., at First Lutheran Church in Glencoe.
Visitation will be Wednesday, March 25, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the Johnson Funeral Home, 141 E First St., Waconia, and at the church Thursday one hour prior to the service.
The Rev. Ronald Mathison will officiate at the funeral. Paul Otto will be the organist and Kenneth Quast will be the soloist.
Casket bearers will be Matt Zdrazil, Tim Matuska, Eric Matuska, Ryan Quast, Rick Quast, Randy Gores and Curtis Matuska.
Interment will be in the First Lutheran Cemetery with military honors by Glencoe American Post 95 and Glencoe VFW Post 5102.
Dennis David Matuska was born July 9, 1942, on his grandparents’ farm in rural Silver Lake, the son of Benjamin F. and Virginia E. (Metkowski) Matuska. He was baptized July 12, 1942, at St. Adalbert’s Catholic Church in Silver Lake by the Rev. Jalkaioski. He was a graduate of Silver Lake High School.
On Nov. 16, 1961, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. His service included time aboard the USS Belle Grove, 15 months stationed in Okinawa, maneuvers in Taiwan and the Philippines, and a final assignment at Camp Le Juene, N.C. He received his honorable discharge on March 15, 1966, at Camp Le Juene. Being discharged as a Corporal E-4, he had received the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the Meritorious Mast.
Mr. Matuska was united in marriage to Darlene Debner on April 7, 1962, at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Glencoe by the Rev. Skoblik. He had confirmed his faith on Dec. 26, 1965, at Calvary Lutheran Church in Jacksonville, N.C., by the Rev. Schedler. His confirmation verse was Matthew 6:33: “But seek first His kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Mr. Matuska had worked in management and manufacturing throughout his life. He had begun after high school working for Hagan’s Body Shop and after his military service he worked for Telex, ITT Shadow, Cascade Medical, DCCT, World Wide Dispensers, Queststar Medical and Separation Kinetics. He was always looking to further his abilities and had taken classes at the University of Minnesota and Ridgewater College.
Mr. Matuska enjoyed hunting, fishing and sausage making. He became a self-taught arborist and loved starting trees from small seedlings. He had shared many of his precious little trees with family and friends. He also loved being around a race track. For many years, he worked alongside his sons building race cars and lending support in the pits. He always loved working with his hands, whether building a home for his family to live in, or fixing a car to make it run better, he was proud of his accomplishments.
Mr. Matuska was a lifelong member of the Glencoe VFW Post 5102 and a member of the Glencoe American Legion, where he served as adjutant and membership chair.
He is survived by his loving family: wife, Darlene Matuska of Glencoe; children, Neal (Monica) Matuska of Prior Lake, Wade (Karen) Matuska of Altus, Okla., Chad (Becky) Matuska of Watertown and Jill Matuska of Minneapolis; grandchildren, Emily (Jake) Broesch and Carly (Lee) Graves; brothers and sister, Arthur (Diane) Matuska of Apache Junction, Ariz., Donna (David) Corbett of Punta Gorda, Fla., and Kenneth (Frankie Travis) Matuska of Watkins, Colo.; sisters-in-law and brother-in-law, Donna and Al Peetsch of Hutchinson, Linda Debner of Elk River and Deanne Johnson of Milaca; as well as nieces; nephews; other relatives; and many friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Benjamin and Virgina Matuska; parents-in-law, Erwin and Elsie Debner; brother, Kevin Matuska; sisters, Nancy Bergstrom and Lisa Matuska; and brother-in-law, Dennis Debner.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Ridgeview Hospice or Harmony River of Hutchinson.
Arrangements are with the Johnson Funeral home in Waconia, www.johnsonfh.com.
