Bryan Riddle Mattison

“You don’t have to grow up, but you do have to grow older.” This was a favorite quote said by a man with a short stature and an enormous personality. He was often described as, “a hoot,” “a real character,” and a “B.S.-er”. On August 21st, Bryan left this world peacefully in his family home, surrounded by those that love him. 

Bryan Riddle Mattison, son of James and Jeanette (Daughtery) Mattison, brother to James Mattison, was born in MilwaukeeWisconsin on August 28th, 1947. Bryan graduated from Nicolet High School in 1966, where he played the sousaphone in the band. Bryan paved his own way in life, dabbling in a little bit of everything. He first started as a young boy, rounding up “varmint” in farmer’s fields for small change, and even became a master sharpshooter, competing in multiple competitions. Bryan went on after high school to graduate with an accounting degree, but soon realized that accounting was not for him. He went on to work a number of years as a manager for the JC Penny Company, and then moved to the family farm in Vincennes, and pursued his degree in horticulture. As he grew older, he handmade wooden furniture, was a car salesman, worked with honey-bees, had a small engine repair shop, was a donut maker at Wood’s Donuts, inspected and sold fire extinguishers, opened Mattison Greenhouses, drove a semi-truck, and became a CDL instructor. Later in life, he became known as beloved “Mr. Pickle,” as he transported kiddos on the bus for the public school system. In his final days, Bryan enjoyed creating wreaths made with his hand gathered pinecones. 

Bryan never met a stranger. With his larger-than-life characterand big stories, he was able to draw people towards him and could keep a person talking for hours on end. Bryan enjoyed sitting on the porch swing watching thunderstorms with a Diet Pepsi or Root Beer float in hand and discussing the deeper things in life. Anytime a person was lost on the road, a phone call to Bryan could get them navigating the right direction once again. If a questionable cloud was in the sky, a call to Bryan would put the mind to ease as he was a very good self-taught meteorologist. Bryan enjoyed listening to outlaw country music, and baseball games, rooting especially for the Cardinals. As a younger man, Bryan was at a bar plucking his guitar strings when someone approached him wanting to try his guitar out. Later on, he found that it was a young Johnny Cash. Bryan always said that he drew strength from the family farm, and enjoyed spending time identifying local bird calls, tracking in the woods, working in his garden, and hosting large bonfires, serving his guests food fresh off the grill, earning him his nickname, “Grill Master B.” Bryan was very family focused,- he enjoyed learning his heritage, and passing life lessons down to his five surviving children, Annjeanette, Marybeth, James,Charlotte, and Raychel, lovingly earning the nickname, “Papa Bear,” “Big Daddy,” and “Papa Riddle”. 

Bryan will be remembered in this world for many of his unique attributes. As anyone that has ever talked to Bryan knows, he was never short on telling stories or sharing his grand adventures, and possibly even stretching the tales just a little bit. Bryan was also known by many people as the burly man that attended his daughter's girl scout meetings, sitting in the little chairs amongst the girls, sampling cookies. Bryan will not be remembered as a punctual man, causing his daughters to often tell him to be somewhere up to an hour earlier than the actual starting time, just to ensure a mostly timely arrival. As previously mentioned, Bryan was a man that didn’t believe in ever having to actually, “grow up,” playing with toys and finding flatulence funny even as an “old man.” Bryan showed support and pride in his family, always staying up late for last-minute projects, keeping track of events, and always rewarding a job well done with a home cooked meal or a hot fudge sundae. 

Although born to a lawyer, Bryan was not a fancy, high class man. Bryan was a humble fellow and enjoyed the simple things. For this reason, rather than getting all “gussied up,” the family invites you to join them in a Remembrance of Life in your comfiest attire on August 26th, 2023 at Oubache Trails between2pm and 6pm in the Sacagawea shelter house.

The family welcomes online condolences to be left at www.fredrickandson.com. Fredrick and Son McClure-Utt Funeral Home is honored to assist the Mattison family with arrangements. 

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