Obituary of Matthew R Pieper

Matthew R. Pieper, age 48 of Eden Prairie MN, passed away on May 7th, 2021 after a sudden bout of pneumonia.

Matt was a unique, generous, and special man who had a striking sense of humor and a deep love for his family and friends. He was always quick to share his opinions and offer advice, whether it was solicitated or not, and respected other’s differences in opinion. If he wasn’t “giving advice”, you can guarantee he was telling a good a story. He also loved to learn about varying cultures and their customs in hopes to travel someplace he hadn’t been to yet. Matt truly had a heart of gold and if someone was in need, he always found a way to help them.

Matthew was born in South St. Paul, MN to parents Rollin and Kosette. From a young age, Matt had a love of travel and always considered himself fortunate to have grown up in the travel business (his maternal grandfather was a mechanic for NW Airlines and his mother was a travel agent). As a young boy, he began travelling worldwide and would often revel in the memories of travelling with his grandparents and mother. Travelling was very important to him and he especially loved sharing this passion with his wife and children. He took pride in finding the “unique” on family vacations– from camping in a tipi to visiting “The World’s Smallest Park” and travelling by trains, planes or automobiles -he left no travel detail untouched and strived to make every experience unforgettable. He also loved to share memories of living and spending time with his paternal grandparents “on the farm”.

After graduating high school, Matt enlisted in the Army and finished his assignment via the National Guard. Taking a cue from his family, Matt worked at the airport as a young adult before returning to school and receiving his associate degree from Dunwoody in HVAC. Graduating at the top of his class, he joined the Minneapolis Pipefitter’s Local Union 539. Through his years of pipefitting he made life-long friends and especially loved working on “power-house” jobsites (aka power plants). Matt had also considered himself a “civil servant” and had worked for the National Park Service at Voyageurs National Park for a short time as well as the Census Bureau. Most recently, he was employed by the United States Postal Service as a mail-processing machine mechanic. He loved this most recent chapter in his life with the USPS and all the new friends he made there. Known for his signature look of “bibs”, he surely left a lasting impression with all who knew him.

Most importantly, Matthew loved his wife and children. Typically leaving for work while everyone else was still sleeping, he always said the highlight of each day was seeing his wife and children after a day of work. He was often known to say, “I’ve waited my ENTIRE DAY to see you!” and lovingly referred to his children as “Stinkbot #1 and Stinkbot #2”. He especially missed seeing and talking to his daughter daily after she left home.

Matthew is survived by his wife Lucy Pieper, daughter Alyssa (also known as Kaedyn) and son Knute. Also survived by his father Rollin (Helen) Pieper, brother Zachary (Emily) Pieper and aunt Cynthia Bratland. He is preceded in death by his mother Kosette Gillis, stepfather John Gillis, uncle Kenton Bratland, maternal grandparents Kelmer and Lillian Bratland, as well as paternal grandparents Leonard and Stella Pieper.

A funeral will be held on Tuesday, June 29th, 2021 at 10:30 a.m. at Pax Christie Catholic Church in Eden Prairie.