Feb. 14, 1922 - Sept. 12, 2007
WILLMAR -- Arlene Esther Valentena Mattson, 85, of Willmar died Wednesday at the Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar after a short illness.
The service will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Assembly of God Church in Willmar. Burial will be in the Buffalo Lake Mission Covenant Cemetery in rural Murdock.
Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Peterson Brothers Funeral Home in Willmar and one hour prior to the service Saturday at the church.
She was born Feb. 14, 1922, in Louriston Township, Chippewa County to Frederick and Anna (Moberg) Johnson. She grew up near Murdock and went to District 38 school and graduated from Murdock High School.
ADVERTISEMENT
She married Leonard Mattson Feb. 17, 1940. They lived in the Murdock area and farmed together until Leonard's retirement. They moved to Willmar in 1993 and she worked at Jennie-O, Tempo and Lakeland Nursery.
She was a member of a country church where she was the pianist for the Sunday school, superintendent, teacher and a member of the ladies aid. They also were members of Willmar Assembly of God Church; where they were in choir, Sunday school, and played the marimba.
She is survived by her two daughters: Judy (and Iver) Lalim of Maynard and Joan (and Richard) Bursby of Rockwall, Texas; two sons:Freddie (and Vicky) Mattson of Willmar and Timothy and (Katie) Mattson of Spicer; 15 grandchildren; 26 great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; and two sisters: Lyla Sveiven of Santa Barbara, Calif. and Elaine Knochenmus of Balaton.
She was preceded in death by her husband in 1999, three grandchildren, two brothers and four sisters.
