Charles E. Matson, 58, died early Monday morning, June 29, 2009, at his home in Kiester. In respect of his wishes, no funeral service will be held. His cremated remains will be buried at Our Savior’s Lutheran Cemetery at a later date.
The son of Elton W. and Lois (Wittman) Matson, Charles Elton Matson was born Feb. 11, 1951, in Wells. He graduated from Kiester High School in 1969 and attended the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley.
Charles and Kay L. Reinhardt were married Oct. 21, 1972. They lived in Kiester, where he worked with The Kiester Courier and established the print shop, Prairie Graphics, before moving to Seattle in 1979. There he worked at the Seattle Art Museum, Atomic Press and Winn Press before establishing his own autographic lithography business called Ink on Paper. Ink on Paper later moved to Livingston, Mont., and ultimately Bozeman, Mont.
His primary press was a Harris LSS, one of only a few made in the 1940s and was used by the U.S. government during World War II to produce maps for the military. The prints he and the artists produced are of magnificent scale and earned him respect in the art print field.
Charles returned to Kiester in 2002. He and Sheryl Halvorsen Fure were married Dec. 15, 2006, in Albert Lea.
Chuck will be remembered for his love of the outdoors, his quick wit, his excellent pool shooting skills and his strong resolve to accomplish tasks in his own way.
He is survived by his wife, Sheryl Matson of Kiester; his daughter, Claire Cannon of Madison, Wis.; his son Taylor Matson of Seattle; his mother, Lois Matson, of Kiester; his longtime companion and friend Sheila Coppola of Seattle; his children’s mother, Kay Reinhardt, of Anacortes, Wash.; his sister, Cynthia Matson and her husband Gerald Nelson of Kiester; his father-in-law Paul Halvorsen of Wells; his stepchildren, Chad Fure of Alden, Shana Iverson of Albert Lea and Jeremy Fure of Kiester; and many stepbrothers, stepsisters, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.
He was preceded in death by his father, Elton Matson, and his mother-in-law, Rose Halvorsen.