Mata Dee Saari

Daughter to Mata Bernice (Tammen)(Meissner)Parker and Fred Meissner. Sister to Marilyn (Meissner) Burgel, Merry (Meissner) Glass, Skip Meissner. Preceded in death by the love of her life, Raymond Frederick Saari. Sister Merry, and Brother Skip. Mother to John, Rob, Tim, and Claire (Saari) Bookman.

Grandmother to Ray, Rebecca, Mitchell, Ally, Eric, Tyler, Maria.

She was married to Ray Saari in 1956 after her graduation from Lutheran Medical as an RN. She nursed her entire career as well as being a housewife and mother. She loved to cook and bake chocolate chip cookies, tapioca pudding, and lots of both apple and pumpkin chiffon pies. She even liked to cook liver and onions. (yuk). She loved spending time with all the family. Sisters, cousins, nephews and nieces, children, and grandchildren. She loved family time even if in the form of lovingly waking us kids, at the crack of dawn to rake leaves, on the weekends. All teenagers appreciate that.

She was an active member of Lord of Life Lutheran Church dating back to the early 1970’s. She was always aware and caring about the needs of other people. She enjoyed playing Scrabble and was obsessed with making someone use their word in a sentence. She seemed to make up the rules as she went along. She enjoyed quilting and crocheting extremely large afghans.She was the first to volunteer for helping someone that needed help. She was also first for volunteering teenage children for something. Something else that all teenagers appreciate.

As a loving wife and mother, we have faith that she is now reunited in glorified body, and eternal happiness, with our dad, and all of her family and loved ones that have preceded her in death. Although we grieve as a family for the beautiful and gentle soul that she was, we celebrate her life this holiday season knowing where she is now. Thank you, Mata Dee, for being such a large part of our lives. Well done good and faithful servant.

A private family gathering on December 16 to commemorate her life.

“Shots” and “Hons” are together again. NTTIFE