Jack Franklin Matteson

December 3, 1925 ~ March 20, 2015

Carmel ~ Jack F. Matteson, Sr., born in El Paso, Texas, passed away in Monterey, California. His end days were spent, as he hoped, in his home in Carmel. Jack was a graduate of Carmel High School, a second-generation West Pointer (Class of 1946), and received his Master’s in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech. He served in the US Army, retiring as a Colonel after a career spanning thirty years. He served four tours of duty in Viet Nam, was Commander of the 24th Calvary (perhaps his favorite assignment), Chief of Staff of the Big Red One, and his last assignment was Deputy Installation Commander at Ft. Hood, Texas. He was a paratrooper, a member of the ski rescue patrol in Alaska, and played tennis for the Army Olympic Team. Three of Jack's children proudly followed him into military service.

Jack was a model train enthusiast and a dog-lover. Several rescue dogs found their way to Jack's loving care. His intellect and love of technology kept him young. He was a President of Kaypro before computers were cool, and he was part of the Limited War Lab team (Chesapeake Bay, Maryland) that developed the amphibious tank.

Jack is survived by his children, Lenice (Dennis), Jack Jr., Jim and Terry (Dwayne), all of Texas; his grandchildren, Tony, Calvin, Travis, Sarah, Melissa, Chris, Sean, Crystal, Nicholas, and Megan, and seven great-grandchildren.

A private family memorial will be held. Memorial contributions may be made to the SPCA for Monterey County, PO Box 3058, Monterey, 93942.