Mildred Dowers Matussak

Mass of Christian Burial for Mildred Dowers Matussak, 98 of Enid, will be 2:00 p.m. Monday, November 20, 2017, at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church with the Rev. Kelly Edwards as celebrant. Burial will follow in Memorial Park Cemetery under the direction of Anderson-Burris Funeral Home. Mildred was born on January 11, 1919, to Roy and Rose Stoner, and passed away Thursday, November 16, 2017, in Enid. She grew up, attended school and lived in Hillsdale most of her life. As a young girl, through her teenage and adult years, she worked hard on the farm assisting her mother with gardening and cooking. She often recounted stories of working from sun-up preparing the noon meal for harvest crews, gathering and preparing vegetables, catching, dressing and preparing chicken only to have it all devoured in five minutes. She married the love of her life Alfred Dowers in 1935, and together they made their home on their farm in Hillsdale, where they raised four children; Bob, Billy-Dean, Connie and Patricia. She was fiercely proud of her children and the life she and Alfred created together. Mildred found great joy in her five grandchildren; Rob, Shawn, Angie, Justin and Jenni. Her days would light up, as they visited scampering around the farm and to the pond for fishing and cookouts. Through the 1970’s and 80’s, Mildred was employed as a custom drapery seamstress at Ron Licklider Interiors in Enid. Her talents behind a sewing machine were not limited to the workplace but streamed into many hours in her personal home sewing room creating custom clothing as a life-long hobby. Mildred’s life took a sad turn on July 14, 1994, when her youngest son, Billy-Dean passed away suddenly from a massive heart attack. Her life would never be the same. Tragedy struck again less than a year later on April 19, 1995, when after 60 years of marriage, Alfred too passed away from a massive heart attack. New life and new love entered Mildred’s life when great-grandchildren entered her world and she married Francis Joseph Matussak. Together they made their home in Enid and delighted in visits from her great-grandchildren; Connor, Alex, Kylie, Reagan, Landon and Hadley. Francis was by her side when she was faced with the death of her oldest child Bob in the summer of 2006, her deterioration of her eyesight and eventual blindness, and the onset of her battle with Alzheimers disease. Francis and Mildred remained married for 17 years until his death on August 9, 2017. Mildred loved and found great comfort in her savior Jesus Christ, and was a dedicated and loyal member of her church. She was known to never pass on her favorite angel-food cake…for breakfast, and never passed up a road trip to visit her daughters who would chauffer her throughout town for visits, and the famous re-visits to any and all fabric stores. She is survived by her son-in-law and oldest daughter, Joe and Connie Allen of Arlington, Texas, her daughter Patricia Dowers of Moore, Oklahoma, and her daughter-in-law Patsy Dowers of Enid. She is also survived by five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Memorials may be made to Our Daily Bread with Anderson-Burris serving as custodian of the funds.

Mildred Dowers Matussak

January 11, 1919 - November 16, 2017