David Michael Mattern

May 8, 1960 – August 25, 2024

David Michael Mattern died Sunday, August 25, 2024, surrounded by loved ones.

David (Dave) was born during a rare late-spring snowstorm on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 8, 1960, in Appleton, WI. He was the firstborn son of the late Gerald Mattern and Anne Mattern (Defenderfer), who was pregnant with David while in Rome for "Uncle Father Joe's" ordination at the Vatican. Dave came into the world fast and left just as quickly.

Dave was oldest of four children in a musical family. He picked up and played any instrument with ease: trumpet, flute, flugelhorn, drums, French horn, piano. During his time in high school he played trumpet in jazz band and played French horn concertos that brought him awards at Wisconsin State Solo and Ensemble competitions. He also played in the Green Bay Youth Symphony for several years, his instrumental performing career ending after an unfortunate accident when his French horn was run over by the family car, twice.

Dave attended Green Bay Montessori, St Mary's Grade School, DePere, and Dickinson School. In his youth Dave was perpetually curious and equally energetic. He participated in Boy Scouts, winter camped, went fishing, poured over Popular Mechanics Magazines, built go-carts and rockets, and constantly took apart and put back together machines to figure out how things worked, and he equally enjoyed explaining to everyone how things worked. Kids in the neighborhood gave him the affectionate nickname "Mr. Peabody" from the 1960's animated cartoon "Mr. Peabody and Sherman."

Dave attended Abbott Pennings High School and East DePere High School where he graduated in 1978. During his time in high school Dave worked in the kitchen of the Norbertine Abbey as well as at Badger Wood Products in West DePere.

After high school, Dave attended Northwood Technical College in Rice Lake, earning an Associate's Degree in Telephony in 1987.

Dave spent his career as a Voice Systems Engineer, aka "the phone guy," installing phone systems for businesses and nonprofits across the state of Wisconsin. He worked as Senior Technician for NCS, climbing telephone poles and repairing lines, then for GTE/Verizon covering the entire Door Peninsula territory from 1987-1991. Dave installed the first phone on Rock Island and took multiple perilous trips to Washinton Island during winter storms to repair phone systems, one trip requiring Dave to jump off the ferry onto ice to make his way to the Washington Island shore.

Dave married Cynthia (Cindy) Olson Mattern in 1990 in Sister Bay. The couple settled in Green Bay and together welcomed two beautiful children: son Vincent in 1996 and daughter Carley in 1997. Dave and Cindy shared 24 years of marriage. As a father Dave shared his love of nature by introducing his kids to hiking, swimming, fishing, photography--especially on the land around the lake home he helped build on Price Lake in Florence County. Dave and Vincent shared a special trip riding motorcycles around Lake Michigan in 2023. Dave's knowledge of everything car and engine-related is already missed.

His lifelong passion as a Green Bay Packers fan began when he attended the Ice Bowl with his parents in 1967. He attended countless games throughout his life with family and friends. In 1997 Dave became a member of Moose Lodge 801, partly for the primo parking spot near Lambeau Field.

Dave worked for NCS and Bacher Communications in Green Bay, and co-owned, with Cindy, Subway Sandwich shops in Green Bay and De Pere. Dave joined Enterprise Systems Group (ESG) in 2008. In 2019, Marco acquired ESG and Dave worked with them until August 2024. Throughout his career as a Voice Systems Engineer, Dave received multiple customer service and top revenue earner awards, including being chosen by his peers to win The President's Award which included a trip to Jamaica in 2015. Dave worked as a volunteer photographer and videographer for Rock for Wishes, an annual fundraising concert benefiting the Make a Wish Foundation from 2012 to 2022. He also worked for years as a phone systems engineer for the annual Cerebral Palsy Telethon in Green Bay. Dave was an amazing engineer with a larger-than-life, gregarious personality who was truly a friend to everyone he worked with and was the glue that kept his workplaces together.

Dave had a lifelong love of moving fast—he adored Road America, car and motorcycle racing. In 2014, Dave got introduced to superbikes by his best friend Dave Withbroe. For nearly a decade the friends traveled to attend superbike schools in California and Virginia and others, riding at speeds of 180+miles per hour, and had the times of their lives. The week before Dave was diagnosed with glioblastoma he trimmed 10-15 seconds off his personal best time.

Dave also found joy reconnecting with his high school sweetheart and partner, Margaret Quinnette. For the last ten years they maintained a long-distance relationship, together enjoying weekend trips to microbreweries, restaurants and each other's loving company. Margaret was an indomitably strong foundation who Dave and his family and friends relied upon during his brief, intense, heroic time with glioblastoma.

Dave was fiercely loyal, visiting his mom and grocery shopping for her every Sunday, and when his father was alive, visiting him every day. Dave's natural gift for gab and giant heart will be dearly missed. The world has become quieter without him.

Dave is preceded in death by his father Gerald Mattern, Grandparents Martha and Anton Mattern, Grandparents Edna Davis Defenderfer and Carson Robert Defenderfer, as well as uncles, aunts, and cousins.

Dave is survived by his mother Anne Mattern, Bellevue; children Vincent Mattern, Green Bay, and Carley Mattern (Mathew Graziano), Milwaukee; partner Margaret Quinnette, Geneva IL; former wife Cynthia Olson Mattern, Green Bay; siblings Anne (Richard) Sato Beaverton, OR, Johanna (John) Mattern Allen, Milwaukee, and Phillip Mattern (Cheryl Elmore), Green Bay; nieces and nephews Amy Ullrich (Drew Tarr), Augusta, GA, Sonja Westerberg Tapia, Evanston, IL, Lukas Westerberg (Sarah Quintenz), Chicago, Akio and Michael Sato, Beaverton OR, and Jack Allen, Milwaukee, WI, and great nephews, a great niece, countless cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends who are like family.

Celebration of Dave's Life will be held at the Riverside Ballroom, 1560 Main Street, Green Bay, on Saturday, October 5, 2024. Greetings and condolences with a family receiving line at 12:30pm, Program of Remembrance at 1:30pm, with meal to follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Green Bay Cerebral Palsy (CP) and the Make a Wish Foundation. Family thank staff at Aurora BayCare Medical Center for their expert care and kindness.