James Norman Mattson
We are saddened to announce that our dad, James (Jim) Norman Mattson, aged 86, passed away peacefully on February 22nd, 2024, at the St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg, MB.
Son of Lena Mattson (nee Kovalchuk) and Peter Mattson, James was born on April 10th, 1937 in Winnipeg, MB. Jim is survived by his wife Edna, daughter Lisa-Jane and son-in-law Darren, grandchildren; Kaden and Myka, daughter (Heather) Anne and son-in-law Benjamin, grandchildren; Nikolai, August, and Sasha, brother-in-law and sister-in-law Robert and Leona Beamish, sisters-in-law Patricia Harder and Janice Harder, and many nieces and nephews on both sides of the Mattson and Harder families.
Jim married Edna Harder in 1967 in Gladstone, MB. Shortly after their wedding, they bought a property on Christie Road just outside of Winnipeg, where they built their home largely by themselves. Jim and Edna then had their daughters and made many happy memories at their home overlooking the Red River. He loved celebrating the holidays, going all out with Christmas decorations, and producing the most elaborate Easter egg hunt maps for his little girls. Jim tended to his property with meticulous attention and greatly enjoyed his Christie Road community, particularly the beloved DeVos family.
He started working as an electrician at the CN when he was 17. He worked on the railway lines in several locations across Manitoba, including the challenging conditions of Churchill, MB. Most of his career was spent at the CN yards in Transcona. Jim retired when he was 55, and started a small business doing repair and maintenance work. He was known for his perfectionism, and for a workshop where there was never a tool out of place.
Jim was a sports fanatic, and a talented athlete himself, playing hockey and baseball in his youth. He was a proud member of baseball and hockey teams that won city championships representing his beloved Norwood community. He loved Sunday summer afternoon baseball games at the family farms around Gladstone (Harders), MacGregor (Asmundsons), and Hamiota (Beamishs), followed by rollkuchen and watermelon. He loved to fish whenever he could find the time. In his retirement, he enjoyed spending time with his family, going to the Forks for fish and chips, and never missing a Jets, Bombers, or Blue Jays game on TV. When Jim was younger, he loved to listen to Elvis and as he grew older, he enjoyed country music and would listen for hours. He embraced technology at the age of 83, learning to use an iPad so that he could have regular video calls with his grandchildren. Jim loved to entertain them with stories about his childhood antics. They were greatly endeared by these tales, and also by his love of candy and ice cream, making him a real kid at heart.
His family would like to share their deep appreciation for all of the expressions of sympathy and condolences. They would like to warmly thank the staff at the Waverley Retirement Home and the WRHA Home Care service, Dr. Sikora and Dr. Orlikow and their staff, who gave him a high quality of life in his later years, and the staff at St. Boniface Hospital who provided him with great care and comfort in his final hours.
In honor of Jim’s love of dogs, donations in lieu of flowers can be made to the Winnipeg Humane Society, 45 Hust Way, Winnipeg, MB R3T 0R3.
A memorial and internment service will be announced at a later date. Arrangements are entrusted to Omega Funeral Home of Portage la Prairie, MB.
Messages of condolences can be made online at http://www.omegafuneralhome.com.
