Al Sandford Mattull, 69, of Lake Village, IN, passed peacefully at home surrounded by his best friend and adventure companion, his “Bud”, and his favorite “sister-in-law” along with the love, thoughts and prayers from friends and family near and far. He fought a long, brave, beautiful battle against pancreatic cancer during which he didn’t speak on how to live through the storm. Instead, he showed those around him, how to quietly fight with every ounce of spirit you have no matter what you are handed. He showed the world how to live for every moment and make the best of every day; if only to walk out to the barn to tinker then quickly to realize he was too tired and walked right back to the house for a nap. He showed how to keep your head down in the fight but held high enough to keep moving forward and that hard work meant grunting through while finding the joy and positive of the little things – like finding the right time to kick the spark lever on the flat ground so you have the power to climb the hill even if you had to be pulled up that hill the first time.
For you see, this wasn’t Al’s first battle. He came into this world as the sixth of seven children on April 23, 1952, in Chicago, IL and life wasn’t easy for the seven of them. However, they found that from a young age if they banded together, they could make it through anything by sharing their resources and knowledge to grow, assisting one another and encouraging each other to work hard and fight with every ounce of their being to lead full, beautiful lives. This life led Al to meeting and marrying his first love, Lena May Watts.
Al and Lena were married on August 14, 1971 and after several years of wedded bliss, had a handsome little fellow on July 10, 1983. This little guy became known by many as “Little Al” but Al fondly called him Bud. Bud was Al’s pride and joy. Yes, even more than his addiction to cars. Bud was Al’s little partner in crime from the very beginning. They would build and tinker, go junking and work side jobs. Al loved sharing the tricks of the trade with his sidekick and was so proud of the caring, compassionate, mechanical mastermind Bud was becoming. Al was filled to the brim with joy when Bud found a great job that allowed him to step away from the hard work of the roofers life these two fabulous souls shared. It was beautiful to see, and even more beautiful to witness, how quickly these gentle souls could lift one another up even after they had been through so much before, and after, losing Lena in October of 2012.
After Lena’s passing, Al continued to explore the Model T world and toured with the West Central Indiana Model Ter’s quite frequently. On one of these trips he met Shirley, who had also lost her husband the year before just months prior to Al losing Lena. They hit it off instantly. They found they shared a passion for country life, good food, and classic and antique cars which led to them always taking the road less traveled to find fun and adventure – from riding through the countryside to touring the Midwest in style. They enjoyed meals, car clubs and shows, museums, day trips, and visits with friends and family. Al loved being a Papa and meeting new friends along the way. On the good days, they could be found driving an old car to dinner just to get out of the house. Some of Al’s favorites were spaghetti, spaghetti, hot dogs, Nancy’s Polish, and white fish though he was rarely happy with it – oh! And spaghetti.
Al understood what it was to have nothing and feel lost, but instead of getting angry and taking it out on the world, he would want any and all who read this to remember karma. Need any more be said? Instead, he would want all to live life to its fullest, always be grateful, and no matter how bad the days get – get up, go out there, and see the world!
Al is survived by his son, Al (Erin) Mattull; his best friend and love of his life, Shirley Alvarado; his brothers, Jerry Mattull, Edwin (Mary) Mattull, Roy Mattull, Tom Mattull, Lenny (Barb) Mattull; his Alvarado family; several sister and brother in laws from his first marriage; and countless nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by wife Lena (Watts) Mattull, his parents, James and Agnes (Dvorak) Mattull; his sister, Sally (Mattull) Walters, and his sister-in-law, Nancy Mattull.
Per Al’s wishes, there will be no arrangements; however, there will a Celebration of Life and car show in the spring.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to any cancer research of your choice or to the Model T Ford Club of America Museum – mtfca.com/donate or 310 N. 8th Street, Richmond, IN 47374-3035.