Funeral services for Melvin "Mel" Mattis, age 56, of Hettinger will be 10:30am Saturday, May 13, at Hettinger Lutheran Church. Pastors Ken Hunt and Kathleen Dettmann will officiate with burial in the Hettinger Cemetery.


Serving as casketbearers are Ray Mattis, Alfred Rose, Russell Walch, Donnie Irwin, Jon Kelly Martin, and Roger Wilson. All friends and relatives are considered honorary bearers.


MELVIN ALLEN MATTIS "Mel" was born February 20, 1950 at Dickinson, ND to Reinhold and Doris (Abbey) Mattis. He grew up on a farm north of Hettinger and then moved to Haynes. Mel attended school at Haynes, Lemmon, then completed his grade school years at North Lemmon School. He graduated from Lemmon High School in 1968. He worked with his father doing custom spraying, baling hay, and constructing steel grain bins. Mel worked at various places including Wolff Plumbing and Heating, Hoff's Ready Mix, Sprecher Trucking, and Walch Trucking. He then went to work for Alfred Rose on the farm and the trucking business for thirteen years. In May 2006, he began working for Northern Improvement on a road project near Sidney, MT when he suffered a heart attack on Tuesday May 9, 2006. He passed away at the Sidney Health Center in Sidney, MT.


Mel met his soul mate Cindy along with two children, Willie, Stephanie, and special granddaughters, Madison and Abigail. He welcomed them into his life with open arms. He loved spending lazy days in his recliner, spending time with his girls, teasing and getting hugs from them. He liked playing with his dogs, pinochle, playing games on the computer, hunting, and chit chatting with friends and family. He liked planting the crops and watching them mature. He loved spending time boating, taking skiers across the water, and fishing. But most of all he loved spending time with Cindy, family, and friends. Mel will be greatly missed by all.


Keeping him in their fondest memories are his special family, Cindy, Willie, and Stephanie, special granddaughters, Madison and Abigail Hagen; his mother Doris Mattis, Dickinson, ND; brother, Byron "Butch" Mattis and his wife Carol, Prairie City, SD; 2 sisters, Cecilia Straub, Dickinson, ND; Susan and her husband Roger Hehn, Red Bluff, CA; 6 nieces, Mindy (Cody), Crystal, Mary Beth (Travis), Pamela, Melaine (Stephen), Alicia (Stephen); 3 great nephews, Christian, Braedyn, and Tyler; numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins.


He was preceded in death by his father on February 11, 1992.


A memorial has been established.


Visitation will be Friday, 1:00 to 8:00pm at the Evanson-Jensen Funeral Home in Hettinger and on Saturday one hour prior to services at the Hettinger Lutheran Church.