Kevin Mattoon Obituary (1961 – 2021) – Everett, WA

Kevin Harold Mattoon, longtime Snohomish County resident, journeyman plumber, eternal optimist, and friend to anyone who smiled, died in Berkeley, California. He was 59.

Kevin was born in Oxnard, California 60 years ago today. He lived there with his parents, Tom and Carolyn, and his two older brothers until a few months before his fifth birthday. In the years that followed, Kevin roamed Oregon and Washington before settling in Edmonds with his mother and brothers, where he graduated from elementary school and attended College Place Junior High and Edmonds High.

After his discharge from the Army in 1983, Kevin spent most of his adult life in the Snohomish area. He was a dog lover, motorcycle enthusiast, avid bowler, and sports fan. He valued his old schoolmates and quickly took new friends into his heart. He loved music and fast-paced movies, and he had a childish weakness for ice cream.

When his health deteriorated, Kevin retired to Ocean Shores about five years ago. Even so, he always looked ahead. He made two trips to Hawaii where he learned body surfing, snorkeling, horseback riding and hiking for miles. Between these trips he spent three weeks in the Philippines with his girlfriend. When he moved to San Francisco in early 2019 for better health care, he explored neighborhoods and parks, signed up for VA-sponsored golf and fly fishing programs, attended major league baseball games on both sides of the bay, and kicked the San. at Francisco Lawn Bowling Club. Kevin moved to Mexico a year ago – partly because of the experience and partly to save money on a long-planned, but pandemic-delayed, permanent move to the Philippines.

Kevin struggled with addiction all his adult life. But he retained an eternally sunny view of the world and his place in it. A few weeks before his death, Kevin began a written list of what he was most proud of, an inventory of his life. “This is my legacy,” he wrote across from page 1.

His son Joshua was high on the list. Kevin also wrote about the medal given to him by a two-star general in Germany, the many high school exchange students he hosted, his bowling skills, the use of CPR to save a man’s life, his 4.0 GPA and Plumbing School Student of the Year award, and bravely volunteered when he was a boy to be kissed by an orca at SeaWorld.

Kevin had written four pages that summer, June 18, when his time ran out. However, if he had been writing for a year, the list still would not have come close to reaching the person.

Kevin loved people and he loved helping people. He could easily get market prices for his services as a plumber, but if you were a friend he would work for little more than the money for lunch. If you needed help clearing land, he would volunteer. He would lend you money if he was still crawling around like that. Once in San Francisco he stopped a thief from running away with a woman’s bag. The guy said to him: “But I’m hungry!” So Kevin gave him a few dollars and let him go.

Compassion and empathy were at the core of Kevin’s essence. Everyone should hope to be able to claim that as a legacy.

In June, Kevin moved back to California to spend his final weeks with the family and reminisce about together. He will be missed forever.

Kevin leaves behind his son Joshua (Snohomish County); Brother Kim (Grays Harbor County); Brother Scott and wife Julie (California); Brother Chris and wife Lindsay (Grays Harbor County); Stepmother Patricia Kugen; Stepbrother Shawn Murray and wife Jennifer West; Stepsister Sarah Wilson (all Thurston County); and several nieces and nephews.

October 16, 1961 – June 18, 2021

Published by The Herald (Everett) October 16 to October 17, 2021.