Harley H. Mattheis Obituary (1931 - 2012)

Harley H. Mattheis, 81, of Verona, NJ, passed away peacefully at home on November 10, 2012 after a long illness of Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS). A Funeral Mass will be offered in Our Lady of the Lake Church, 32 Lakeside Avenue, Verona, NJ on Wednesday, November 14th at 10 am. Visiting in the Prout Funeral Home, (www.proutfuneralhome.com) 370 Bloomfield Avenue, Verona, on Tuesday from 2-4 pm and 7-9 pm. Harley was the first son to the late Herbert and Elsie Mattheis. Born on September 20, 1931 in Ellendale,North Dakota, he grew up on a farm in Harvey, ND. After graduating high school, he moved to Minneapolis where he studied radio and electronics as a member of the Army Reserves. He was called up for Active Duty during the Korean Conflict and served as a Radio Instructor in the Army Tank Corp. After the Service, he moved to Chicago to attend Illinois Institute of Technology where he studied Engineering. He was employed by Container Corporation of America as a Product Engineer in the plastics industry. In 1954, Harley met Phyllis T. Kloss whom he married in 1958. In 1967, he was transferred to NJ with the position of Chief Design Engineer and brought his family to settle in Verona. There he became an active member of Our Lady of the Lake Church and School and was also involved in Indian Guides, Trail Blazers and Indian Princesses. For the next 19 years, he was highly regarded in the plastics industry and designed products for a variety of companies. In 1986, he formed his own consulting company, HM Consulting, and designed for NAGL Brush of Omaha, Nebraska. His innovative approach during his 55 years in the plastics industry merited him 61 patents as well as many professional awards and recognitions. He retired just recently in August 2012 at the age of 80. He will be remembered for his unique wit and his eccentricities which include being among the first to wear Bermuda shorts in Chicago in the 1950's, his tweeting whistle to roundup his 7 children, his 1980 green electric car, antique phone booth, antique "barber" chair and the way he "Harley-ized" everything he encountered. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Phyllis (nee Kloss); son Colin and wife Sherri, grandson Tyler; son Craig and wife Ingrid, granddaughter Erika; son Garret, grandchildren, Charlotte, Chloe, Cass; daughter Kelly; son Chris; daughter Meegan and husband Brian, grandchildren Liam and Laurel; daughter Erin and husband Barry. He is also survived by his brother Orin Mattheis, his sisters Shirley Gilbert and Eileen Cooper. He was predeceased by his brother, Ivan Mattheis and his sister, Sandra Mattheis. In lieu of flowers, donations to Our Lady of the Lake School, Lakeside & Montrose Avenues, Verona NJ 07044 or St. John's Soup Kitchen, c/o St. John's Church, PO Box 200147, Newark NJ 07102 would be appreciated.