Schell, Mildred

Obituary

Mildred Schell Mattice

Mildred Schell Mattice was a kind-hearted woman who welcomed people to Atamont's Maplewood Inn, where she worked for years as a waitress, as if it were her own home. "She was a wonderful mother, just a very nice person," said her daughter, Bertha Mattice Pierce. "She never got mad. Never." Mrs. Mattice died, after a brief illness, on Saturday, Feb. 19,2005, in South Carolina, where she had moved to be near her daughter. She was 97. She was born on Sept. 27,1907, the daughter of Marion West Schell and Charles D. Schell. "She was born on the Schell homestead, near Gallupville," said Mrs. Pierce. "She grew up on the farm there." She liked farm life, said her daughter. "When she was 16, she went to work at the boarding house in West Berne, serving dinners and cooking for her aunt," said Mrs. Pierce. She thinks that may be where she met the man who would become her husband, Charles Mattice of West Berne. Mrs. Mattice married when she was 19, said her daughter. 'She never got mad. Never.' During World War II, Mrs. Mattice worked at the Locomotive Plant and General Electric Co. in Schenectady. "It was like a defense plant; it was part of the war effort," said Mrs. Pierce. When Mrs. Pierce was about 15, she said, her mother went to work at the Maplewood Inn in Altamont. "She worked there a long, long time," said her daughter. "Until she broke her knee, then she couldn't be a waitress anymore. After that, she worked in the news room on the corner by the railroad tracks. Everybody used to come there and get their newspaper." Mrs. Mattice was active in several community organizations. "She liked her church," Mrs. Pierce said of St. John's Lutheran Church in Altamont. Mrs. Mattice was also a member of the ladies auxiliary of the Boyd Hilton Veterans of Foreign Wars Post in Altamont. Her son, Charles Mattice, was in the Marines, said Mrs. Pierce. In her later years, Mrs. Mattice belonged to the Altamont Senior Citizens. "She went to all the functions," said her daughter. She is survived by her daughter, Bertha Mattice Pierce, and her daughter's husband, Kenneth, of Little River, S.C.; and by two sisters, Pearl DeRose and her husband, Kenneth, of Venice, Fla., and Charlotte Senecal and her husband, Melvin, of Schoharie. She is also survived by seven grandchildren: Cynthia Kerr of Greenwich, N.Y.; Wendy Feeney of Rochester, N.Y.; Maureen DeRoches of Two Rivers, Wise; Marcia Kruzinski of Delanson, N.Y.; Merry Beth Scanu of Rensselaer, N.Y.; Robert Mattice of Virginia Beach, Va.; and Sharon Walsh of Albany. And she is survived by many great-grandchildren: Randy Kerr III of Newton, Iowa; Ian Kerr of Oswego, N.Y.; Maureen Kerr of Greenwich, N. Y.; John K. Feeney of Rochester, N.Y.; Jennifer Sullivan of Savannah, Ga.; Michael, Justin, and Stephanie Kruzinski, all of Delanson, N.Y.; Anthony and Nicole Scanu of Rensselaer, N.Y.; Amy DeRoches of Two Rivers, Wise; Sara and Kate Tighe and Kelly Suter; and two greatgreat- grandchildren, Alex Basco and Tristen Fuitz. Her husband, Giles Mattice, died in 1976. Her son, Charles Mattice, died in 1997. And three of her siblings — Robert Schell, Edith Schmidt, and Helen Senecal — died before her. A funeral service will be held today, Thursday, at 2 p.m. at the Fredendall Funeral Home in Altamont. There will be no calling hours. Spring burial will be in Woodlawn Cemetery in Berne. Memorial contributions may be made to St. John's Lutheran Church, Post Office Box 770, Altamont, NY 12009 or to Altamont Senior Citizens, Post Office Box 212, Altamont, NY 12009. — Melissa Hale-Spencer

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