~ IN MEMORY ~
Military veteran, NWA pilot Robert Michael Matta
August 4, 1932 ~ July 18, 2019
Notification with the passing of RNPA member retired
Northwest pilot Robert Michael Matta, age 86.
Bob joined Northwest Airlines 04-23-1959. He is survived by his wife Marilyn, plus their
children and grandchildren.
To view/sign the online guestbook for Bob please visit
Services were held in Northfield, Minnesota.
For those wishing to send a personal note, whitepages lists the
family residence as
1103 Cannon Valley Drive, Northfield MN 55057-1303.
Thank you,
~ Carol for the PCN
Obituary…………………. for Robert “Bob” Matta
Robert Michael Matta, of Northfield, passed away on July 18,
2019 at the age of 86. Bob was born on
the family truck farm in what is now Brooklyn Center, Minnesota on August 4,
1932. He was the sixth and youngest
child of Slovak immigrants, Mike and Anna (Humenik) Matta, and the baby brother
of five doting, older sisters who ranged in age between 8 and 18 years his
senior. According to oft-told family
lore, when Bob was born his father was so excited to finally have a son that he
literally skipped across the fields to the neighbors yelling “It’s a boy! It’s a boy!” in his native Slovak. Yes, Bob was spoiled!
It wasn’t too many years later that the family decided to
give up truck farming and moved back to Minneapolis into a home they’d
purchased in the “Seven Corners” neighborhood near Augsburg College. At home and with friends, Bob’s family spoke
only Slovak. Even the family’s church was Slovakian and thus Bob was confirmed
in Slovak with his Slovak Bible. It
wasn’t until he started 1st grade that he learned English.
Despite having little money, especially after his father
passed away when Bob was only 14, Bob had a wonderful childhood. His was an exceedingly close, crazy and
fun-loving family— but the good kind of close, crazy and fun-loving. His sisters married wonderful men who readily
stepped in after Bob’s father passed, helping to raise Bob and, most of the
time, setting good examples and providing wise counsel for Bob. The large family often shared
multi-generational housing, something Bob & Marilyn happily continued when
Bob’s mother lived with them for 14 years.
With the Mattas, family was always welcome, an invitation was never
required, and another place could always be set at the dinner table!
Bob graduated from South High School in 1950. He attended the University of Minnesota for
two years (intending to be a dentist) before joining the U.S. Navy just two
days before the Army called to inform him he was being drafted. Bob trained to be an aircraft carrier pilot
and served on an aircraft carrier off the coast of Korea. Following four years of active duty Bob
received his first honorable discharge in 1956.
He returned to Minneapolis and, on December 15, 1956, married Marilyn
Paul at St. James Lutheran Church in Minneapolis.
During the mid-1950s, Bob also began a career as a
commercial pilot at United Airlines, later flying for Western Airlines and,
finally, Northwest Airlines. In the late
50s and early 60s, Bob was caught up in layoffs, and, in 1962, he returned to
active duty with the Navy as a transport pilot, evacuating wounded soldiers
from Vietnam among many other duties. In
1965, upon his second honorable discharge from active duty, he returned to the
Naval Reserves and to Northwest Airlines.
All told, Bob spent 23 years in the Navy (7 years active duty) and
retired in 1975 as a Navy Captain.
While at Northwest Airlines, although Bob held various positions in the
Training Department and as the Director of Flight Training, at heart he was
first and foremost a “Line Pilot.” He
retired from Northwest in 1992 after 33 years.
Due to Bob’s Navy and airline careers, Bob and Marilyn made
their home in many places around the United States and Japan before finally
settling down in 1976 on an old, circa 1873 farm west of Northfield. It was there that Bob began his 3rd career as
a grain farmer, tending 176 acres of tillable land. After 20+ years in the fields, Bob retired
from active farming.
Bob adored his wife, Marilyn, as well as their four
children, eight grandchildren and their great-grandson. He loved flying; farm life; rebuilding and
restoring classic cars; dancing, entertaining and traveling with Marilyn;
winters in Tucson, AZ; and his fun-loving and close-knit extended family and
friends. He was a long-time member of
St. John’s Lutheran Church. Bob never
turned down a party invitation, a second helping, or a dance with his
wife. He told a fabulous story and loved
to laugh.
Bob is survived by his wife of 62 years, Marilyn; their
daughters Lori (Abraham) Middeldorp, Lynn Matta, Michele (Nathan) Knutson; son
Bryan Matta; eight grandchildren: Katerina (Dave Flynn) and Alexandra
Middeldorp; Matthew, Will, Seth and Genevieve Knutson; Doug (Ashley Sodergren)
and Robert Matta; one great-grandson, Dominic Matta; and many dear relatives
and friends. He was preceded in death by
his parents, sisters and their husbands:
Mary & Joe Hudak; Ann & George Mital; Helen & Tony Smentek;
Dorothy & Einar Mattson; and Millie & Norm Hansen.
If desired, memorials are preferred to Laura Baker Services
Association, Epic Enterprise, or St. John’s Lutheran Church, all of Northfield.
Arrangements are with the Benson & Langehough Funeral
Home. www.northfieldfuneral.com
