Michael S Matsukis

Mike was born on August 26, 1938, in Sioux City, Iowa. He was the youngest of five children born to Aphrodite Stevens (Stephanou) and (Demetri) James Matsukis.

James worked as a railroad foreman and relocated his family to Concord, Nebraska. Aphrodite ran the Concord Café with the help of Mike and his siblings, sparking his lifelong passion for feeding the people he loved.

Mike attended elementary school and high school in Concord, Nebraska before graduating from Wayne State College with a bachelor’s degree in education in 1960. He taught history at Wayne High School and held various positions with Institutional Catering & Management Services (ICMS). He began that work at Wayne State and later helped with pilot programs at Creighton University, and Tarkio, Missouri.

In 1961 Mike married Marilyn Shupe of Wayne, Nebraska, in Caldwell, Idaho where she was attending college. They had two children: a daughter, Michelle, and in 1971, their son Michael was born.

Mike was commissioned into the Army National Guard in 1956 while attending Wayne State College. He graduated with the second class from Camp Asland in Ashland, NE, and after nearly 23 years of proud service, retired with the rank of Major. In 1973, he was named Assistant State Civil Defense Director. In 1979, he retired from the military to pursue another career.

In 1979, he started a professional cleaning service which he operated until health issues led him to retire in May 2026.

Mike loved cooking for those around him, inspiring the family joke that he should open his own place called “Mike’s Café.” He never let anyone leave his home hungry.

Following his father’s love of gardening, Mike tended an impressive 1,000 sf garden that he spent endless hours tending to. He shared his vegetables with neighbors, his doctor’s office, the fire station and even local food kitchens.

Mike loved his family and especially his grandchildren. Keith, his oldest grandson, saw him as an influential care giver while he was growing up. Mike was known as “Grandpa” by most of Keith’s friends and Grandpa thought of them as his extended grandkids just the same. Mike’s twin grandsons Kenton and Ethan, (born in 2016), were just as adored, and Mike talked about them to everyone he knew.

Survived by his daughter Michelle; son Michael (Chaney) grandsons: Keith (Alyssa), Kenton and Ethan.

Mike was preceded in death by his parents, Aphrodite & James Matsukis. Half brother Gus Matheakis (Georgia), Zoe White (Pete), Theodore Matsukis (Marlene), and his closest sibling, Nancy Matsukis. The mother of his children, Marilyn Matsukis, passed away in 2006.

Please join the family in celebrating Mike’s life during his wake on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, at Lincoln Memorial Funeral Home between 5-7pm with a Trisagion (short Greek prayer service) at 7pm. The funeral will be at 10am Friday, Oct 2, at the Annunciation Orthodox Church located at 950 N. 63rd St, Lincoln, NE. There will be a lunch to follow at the church.

The burial will be at Westlawn-Hillcrest Memorial Park in Omaha at approximately 1:30 pm, following the lunch.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the family for future designation.