Dolores F Matzat

Dolores Fay Matzat was born August 18, 1950 in La Porte, Indiana, the daughter of Ewald and Flora (Kothe) Matzat of North Judson, Indiana. She was baptized and confirmed at St. Peter Lutheran Church in North Judson. Dolores graduated from St. Peter Lutheran School in 1964 and North Judson-San Pierre High School in 1968. She attended Indiana State University in Terre Haute, IN, where she earned a B.S. degree in Political Science in 1972 and an M.S. degree in Criminology in 1975. Dolores grew up with 4 siblings and 26 first cousins. She always enjoyed family gatherings for birthdays, holidays and vacations. She developed a knack for "standing her ground" whether it was in a discussion/debate or playing sports. Growing up on the family farm, Dolores, with her siblings and cousins, was part of a crew that weeded mint during the summer months. She was also very active in Starke County 4-H enrolling in both livestock as well as domestic projects. Recently, Dolores smiled when she remembered how her mother would require her to tear out a dress seam on a 4-H project only to redo it -- better. During summers in college, Dolores worked as a 4-H program assistant. After college, Dolores worked as a security guard for Wells Fargo Security at the Texaco refinery in Lockport, IL. When she learned that she could earn more as a Texaco employee (even raking gravel in the yards), she jumped at the opportunity! At Texaco, Dolores found her niche as a human resources (HR) specialist, attending Loyola University in Chicago to hone her skills. She became the HR specialist assisting employees with their benefits when refineries closed. Working for Texaco she worked in Illinois, Kansas, Texas, California and Ontario, CA. When Texaco was bought out by Chevron in 2000, Dolores was "forced" to retire. She decided to retire to Colorado Springs, CO, and used retraining benefits to develop her artistic skills in wood carving. She became proficient in both relief and statuary wood carving. Besides strong family ties, Dolores also developed lasting friendships with people she met at school and work. Dolores would make excursions with a college friend during summer vacations exploring the natural world by rafting and sight-seeing. When the daughter of a friend she worked with in California became an Olympian in shooting sports, Dolores followed them to Olympic games in Atlanta (1996), Sydney (2000), Athens (2004), Beijing (2008), London (2012) and Rio (2016). She also remained very close to her high school government teacher. Dolores returned to North Judson in 2013, buying her aunt and uncle's house across the street from where she grew up. She was active at church, handling the arts and crafts part of Vacation Bible School and assisting with hospitality aspects at church. She was always ready to babysit for four grand nieces and enjoyed interacting with her nephew's family. Dolores had a passion for reading and collecting books related to political history, both fiction and non-fiction. She used that passion to learn more about her "roots" traveling to Lithuania to search the areas from which her paternal grandparents came. She also went on several travel adventures with her cousin exploring places in Russia and Ireland. In 2023, she went on one final adventure with her sister Annette – an Alaska inside passage cruise. Dolores died on Saturday, August 17, 2024, at IU North Hospital in Carmel, IN, at the age of one day shy of 74 years old. She was preceded in death by her parents, sister Nancy Woolery, and brother Paul Matzat. She is survived by her brother Eugene (Linda) Matzat, sister Annette Matzat-Zeller, brother-in-law Wayne Woolery and sister-in-law Barb Matzat. She is also survived by 11 nieces and nephews and 28 grand nieces and nephews. A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Saturday, August 31, 2024, at 12:00 pm CDT at St. Peter Lutheran Church, 810 W. Talmer Avenue, North Judson, Indiana, with Rev. Daniel Speckhard officiating. Visitation will take place one hour before the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to St. Peter Lutheran Church, North Judson, Indiana. O'Donnell Funeral Home, North Judson, Indiana, is handling final arrangements for the family.

Dolores F Matzat

August 18, 1950 - August 17, 2024