Mary Mattson

Obituary of Mary E Mattson

Mary E. Mattson, 104, of Twig, passed away peacefully on July 15, 2020, at her dining room table waiting for her caretaker and friend, Penny Kutasevich, to bring her a cup of coffee. Mary was born on January 13, 1916, in Duluth to parents Peter and Francesca Perfetto. When her mother died, Mary’s early years were spent at St. James’ Orphanage with her six siblings. After attending and graduating from Duluth Cathedral High School, she worked at Kresge’s Dime Store, formerly located on Superior Street. Later Mary met her much-loved husband, Walter, whom she married on September 21, 1940. They had a long and loving marriage of 63 years until his death in 2003. She was a devoted wife and mother, caring for their four children and Duluth home both while Walter served overseas during WWII and later when he worked on construction projects out of town. In their later years, they purchased property in Twig where they spent the remainder of their lives. Aside from being a wife and mother, Mary enjoyed gardening, canning, crocheting, doing jigsaw and crossword puzzles, making her own wine, playing 500 Rummy, Spoons, and various board games, and traveling. Her travels began as a young woman when she took the train with their first child, Diane, to see Walter when he was stationed in Corvallis, Oregon. Her later travels took her to various parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, Virginia, California, Alberta, Canada, and Hawaii. Going out to eat was a favorite thing for Mary to do. She especially enjoyed patronizing Sammy’s Pizza and The Olive Garden where she celebrated her 100th birthday surrounded by family, friends, and even the staff. Mary is survived by her four children, Diane Viray, Andrea (Steve) Reclusado, James (Laurie) Mattson, and Wendy Mattson (Jay Dendy); grandchildren, Christopher and Michelle Viray, Ian (Sharmil) Elliott Reclusado, Caitlin Reclusado, Ashley Mattson-Sullivan, and Maloreer Mattson; great grandchildren Brody, Skeet, and Devlin Sullivan. A Committal Service will be held on August 13 at 2:00 at Minnesota State Veteran’s Cemetery, 4777 Highway 53, Saginaw. A Christian Memorial will be held on August 125 at 10:00 at the chapel of The Cremation Society of Minnesota, 4100 Grand Avenue, Duluth. Deacon John Foucault will officiate at both services. Due to COVID restrictions there will be no reception following the memorial service, but we would like to mingle outdoors in the parking area to share memories of Mary. The family would like to express its deep appreciation to Penny Kutasevich of Home Instead, Ann Fairbanks, Fire Chief Grant Gimpel and the Grand Lake Fire Department, and Mark Haslow and the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department for all the love, care, and support they gave to Mary.  In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Grand Lake Fire Department, PO Box 1083, Twig, MN, 55791 or to The Rescue Fund, St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office, 100 N. 5th Avenue West, Rom 103, Duluth, MN, 55802.

A Memorial Tree was planted for Mary
We are deeply sorry for your loss ~ the staff at Cremation Society Of Minnesota | Duluth