Daniel J. “Dan” Mattingly

Embraced in the love of family and friends, Daniel “Dan” Joseph Mattingly passed from this earthly home on Saturday, July 29, 2023 in his home in Tipton, Indiana at 7:30 a.m. While the light has dimmed a bit here, heaven is a brighter place.

Daniel “Dan” Joseph Mattingly was born March 20, 1921, on a farm southeast of Tipton, Indiana. Parents Joseph P. Mattingly and Isabel U. (Brady) Mattingly as well as his brother, John, his sisters, Miriam and Rosemary, preceded him in death. On June 26, 1948, he married Mary Agnes “Tommie” Mason, the enduring love of his life. Tommie passed away in 2015. Together Dan and Tommie raised a family of five children, Johnny, Joe, now deceased (married to Tina), Matthew (married to Beth), Mark (married to Rhonda), and Molly, now deceased (married to Charles Collins). With eight grandchildren, three step-grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, nine step-great-grandchildren and eight great-great-grandchildren, there was never a dull moment in Dan’s later years!

Dan attended St. John the Baptist Catholic School through 8th grade and graduated from Tipton High School in 1939. He served in the U.S. Navy Amphibious Force (WWII, 1942-1945) and participated in the invasion of Palermo, Sicily and in Normandy on “D” Day at Omaha Beach). He attended the U.S. Navy Diesel School at the University of Illinois and General Motors Diesel School in Cleveland, Ohio to study diesel engineering. He was a proud Veteran who always took the time to share his wartime experiences, what he witnessed, and never lost sight of his good fortune to have survived to return home.

After passing up an opportunity to work with Delco Remy, he gave his all to farming the rich farmlands of Tipton County. For a few years, he served as Superintendent of the Tipton City Light and Water and was a founding board member of Tipton County Foundation. He served on the Board of Directors of First Federal Savings and Loan, which later became STAR Bank for 28 years. He was a member of The Rotary Clubs of Tipton and Green Valley, AZ and the Tipton Elks.

He loved the outdoors, golf, fishing, and hunting. He took many trips to Alaska to angle the pristine waters and around the county for the best in hunting. He was also a witty, prolific writer who documented the ordinary and extraordinary experiences of his life authoring his first book at age 93.

In his book, My Wonderful Life’s Adventures…So Far, Dan shares stories of family, friends, history, each one displaying his appreciation for life. Not the perfect life, but a life well lived. He wanted everyone to know how precious life is and that one’s attitude is what determines happiness in each day. Dan was one to make friends wherever he found himself . . . as a young ‘whipper snapper’ in grade school, the ‘farm kid’ in high school, the ‘cool sailor’ in the Navy and the ‘man about town’ as he settled in to family and professional life in Tipton. Dan was the man you wanted to have a cup of coffee and listen to. He was the guy to be relied upon to lift your mood and elevate your attitude with a huge dose of laughter.

In his century of living, Dan seemed determined to leave this world better than he found it. He did so every day in so many ways . . . with a hilarious anecdote, a silly joke, a kind act for a neighbor, a word of respect to a stranger, mostly with a smile that could light up a room. This gift for making himself at home on this earth and doing what he could to assure others felt comfortable was no small contribution to humanity. Dan set an example we could all learn from . . . love one another.

As Dan departs this world to traverse a wholly new heavenly territory, he will do so with an eager and joyful heart, seeking to make himself at home. If he could have the last word, and he would want that, it might be “Life is what you make it, friend.” For sure, he would want to say one last time to everyone he ever met, “Thank you, and I love you dearly.”

A funeral Mass for Dan will be conducted at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, August 7 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church with Rev. Dennis Goth presiding. Burial will follow in St. John’s Cemetery with military honors presented by the Tipton American Legion and the U. S. Navy.

A wake service followed by a rosary service will begin at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday at Young-Nichols Funeral Home.  Following the rosary service Dan’s friends will be invited to share their memories of Dan with those in attendance.

Any gifts can be given to St. John the Baptist Catholic Church building fund, 335 Mill Street, Tipton, Indiana, 46072.  Dan’s books, My Wonderful Life’s Adventures…So Far, and History of the Tipton Golf Course, are still available with all proceeds going to the church building fund.