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Photo of Donald L. Mattox

Donald L. Mattox

4/23/1930 - 1/23/1999


Obituary


Donald L. Mattox, 68, of Huntsville, Alabama, died at 8:04 PM, January 23, 1999, at Huntsville Hospital.  The funeral and burial will be in Britt, Iowa, with William Culbertson of The Evangelical Free Church of Britt officiating.

He was born on a farm in Johnson County, Nebraska, near Graf, Nebraska, on April 23, 1930.  He attended a rural one-room elementary school and Tecumseh High School, graduated from the University of Nebraska Teachers College in 1952, served in the Army in Germany as a second Lieutenant and returned to the University of Nebraska where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1957.  In 1964, he earned a Master's Degree in Thermodynamics from Sevier Institute, Washington Univeristy in St. Louis, Missouri.  Also in 1964, he was elected to Sigma Xi, the honorary society for scientist and engineers.  In 1997, he was elected to full membership in Sigma Xi.

He married Connie Casper July 14, 1956, in Belgrade, Nebraska.  Three children were born to this union; Jim, Steve and Ellen.

He was employed in the aerospace industry, working for McDonnell and McDonnell-Douglas in St. Louis, Missouri for seventeen years and for several aerospace companies in Huntsville, Alabama.  He retired from Boeing in 1995.  After his retirement, he enjoyed doing substitute teaching in the Huntsville High Schools.

While living in Missouri, he was very active in working at improving the schools his children attended, serving on the PTA and on the Hazelwood Board of Education in St. Louis Co.  He was instrumental in getting voter approval for two new high schools and several elementary schools.  The Hazelwood School District was growing rapidly during these years and had 25,000 students at the time he served on the Board of Education.

Donald is survived by his wife, Connie of Huntsville, Alabama; two sons: Jim and wife Brenda in Britt, Iowa and Steve and wife Kay in Toney, Alabama; his daughter Ellen and husband Phil Lively of Athens, Alabama; six grandchildren, Emily and Laura Mattox of Toney, and Daniel, Chris, Jacob and Stephanie Mattox of Britt, Iowa.  He is also survived by two brothers, Boyd Mattox of Tecumseh, Nebraska and Dale Mattox and wife Marilyn of Tecumseh, Nebraska; two sisters Mary and husband Paul Wenzl of Steinauer, Nebraska and Meryl Nootz of Omaha, Nebraska.

He was preceded in death by two sisters, Flora Jane Mattox and Dorothy Agena and by brother, David Mattox.