Mrs Matteson was born February 5, 1929, in Osawatomie, Kansas. She received her education there, and following high school graduation, married Willis Matteson on June 22, 1947. During her early adult years in Kansas, Erma worked as a secretary at Osawatomie State Hospital; Fluor Products Company, Paola Ks; and Frontier Chemical Corp., Wichita, Ks.
Having longed for a child for more than thirteen years after their marriage, no one could have been happier than Erma when their first child, a son, Daren, was born in 1960, a few months before their March 1961 move from Wichita to Hanford. They were blessed again in 1964 with the arrival of a beautiful daughter Leslie who made their family complete.
Mrs. Matteson was employed for 23 years by The Gas Company, in Hanford, retiring in 1995. Her principal interests have been her Lord, her family, and friends, although family dogs, Pookie and Precious, played especially valuable roles in the lives of both Willis and Erma. She took immense pleasure and great pains in creating computer projects: bookmarks, cookbooks, her memoirs, a story or two, and keeping the family business affairs in order. One of her greatest pleasures was driving alone, even driving from Hanford to Kansas City twice in her 80's and to Arizona many times. Other travels included Japan five times while her daughter, Leslie, and her family lived there and making lifetime Japanese friends. Willis accompanied her to Japan twice, and together they saw quite a lot of the United States as well. She also enjoyed reading, T. V., knitting and crocheting and had a little interest in political affairs.
Erma accepted Christ at an early age and in Hanford, was an active member of First Baptist Church where, from the beginning, she took an active role in the choir, Sunday school teaching and serving on church boards. She was a past president of Dolphins Society, a charitable auxiliary which held fund-raisers for Children's home Society of California, an adoption agency. For 27 years, the Matteson's opened their home for weekly Bible Study which Willis led and where old and new friends were always warmly welcomed. The Bible study played a major role in their devotional life and the largest part of their social life, although friends outside that group were infinitely important.
For the past 7 years, she lived at Valley Christian Home in Hanford, following a severe injury in 2015. Although this required her to leave the family home, she soon declared that Valley Christian was her new home. Because of the loving environment there, she never wavered from this belief and grew to see many staff members as her extended family.
A loving wife, and mother, Mrs. Matteson was preceded by her husband of 63 years, Willis in 2010, and is survived by a son, Daren Matteson and wife, Joanie, of Hanford; a daughter, Leslie Resendez and husband, Darrell, San Tan Valley, AZ; grandchildren Jennifer Matteson, Fresno; Mark Matteson and wife, Christina, Hanford; Robert Resendez and wife, Lindsay, Mobile, AL; Amber Faist and husband, Brian, Portland, OR; and Scott Resendez and wife, Shula, Mesa, AZ; Zachary Kistler and wife Chanel, Oklahoma City, OK; Sabrina Kistler, Lemoore; Kat Marie Warren, Murrieta, CA; and 14 great-grandchildren. Mrs. Matteson also leaves beloved sister-in-law, Carmen Matteson of Oklahoma, as well as numerous friends.
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