James Anthony DeMatteis

James Anthony DeMatteis, 87, formerly of West Des Moines, passed away peacefully on October 11, 2022. A Celebration of Life will be held at Echo Valley Country Club in Norwalk, Iowa on Friday, November 18, 2022. Visitation will begin at 3:00 p.m. with the Celebration of Life Service at 4:00 p.m. If you have special memories of Jim that you’d like to share, the family would greatly appreciate your willingness to share them at the celebration. Fellowship with refreshments will follow.

Jim was born on June 9, 1935 in Altoona, Pennsylvania, to James Raymond and Naomi (Mallot) DeMatteis. On April 30, 1956, he was united in marriage to Jane Laughard. They were blessed with three children; James Raymond, Jana, and Joni. On December 20, 1985 he was united in marriage to Judy Thomas.

In 1969, Jim co-founded Des Moines Truck Brokers (DMTB) with Joseph Comito, Sr. of Capital City Fruit. Their business relationship continued with Joseph Comito, Jr. until Jim’s retirement 50 years later in 2019. Jim’s son, Jimmy, joined the firm in 1984 and oversaw the continued growth of the company into an award-winning and nationally respected truck brokerage. Two awards that Jim particularly appreciated were Norwalk Business of the Year in 2009 and being named one of the Top Workplaces in the State of Iowa in 2019. DMTB was also named Warren County Business of the Year in 2019 and was awarded the Better Business Bureau of Iowa Integrity Award. Jim’s work ethic was exceptionally strong. He insisted that his business be run with integrity, fairness, and honesty, and he was highly respected in the trucking community for those qualities.

Jim was an avid golfer. He played every chance he got, and then some. At one time he belonged to Indianola, Echo Valley, Wakonda, and Glen Oaks Country Clubs, all at the same time. One of his golf buddies pointed out to him that golf rules call for a 14 club limit. He scored three holes-in-one in his early golfing years, and didn’t stop playing until well into his 70’s.

Two other passions that Jim developed later in life were for travel and ballroom dancing. Jim and Judy were privileged to travel extensively in Europe, Hawaii, and the United States. They also enjoyed cruising, and were on a quest to discover how long of a cruise would be too long. They never found out. If the music was right, Jim danced ~ down a hallway, around any room, and especially on the dance floor. Jim and Judy enjoyed dancing at the Castle Club of Des Moines, Red Friars in Ames, the VFW in Ankeny, and at Prairie Meadows. They crashed several wedding receptions at Wakonda Country Club, just because the music was so good. Jim had happy feet.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents; brother, John DeMatteis; sister, Nancy Whiteman; and by Jane DeMatteis. He was immensely proud of his family. He is survived by two brothers, David (Jayetta) and Kenneth (Roxanne) Fuchs; three children, Jimmy (Marie), Jana, and Joni (a.k.a. Babydoll); grandchildren, Ryan Robbins, Eron Maty, and Whitney DeMatteis; step-grandchildren, Christian and Benjamin (Jordyn) Ferkin; six great-grandchildren; and his wife, Judy. Jim was, truly, the love of her life. He will be so greatly missed by his family and his many friends. Memorial contributions may be directed to the church or charity of the donor’s choice.