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Feb. 18, 1938 — Oct. 3, 2021

Robert Charles (Bob) Mattix, 83, caring husband, father and grandfather, passed away from natural causes on Oct. 3, 2021, in the presence of his devoted wife, Shirley. Born on Feb. 18, 1938, in Niles, Michigan to John Rogers and Mildred (née Bachman) Mattix. Bob was raised in a loving household with his sister, Diane Mattix Peck, and brother, John R. Mattix, Jr (Sue). He graduated from Niles High School in 1956 where he excelled in sports, especially football. In college, he competed in football at Western Colorado University in Gunnison, Colorado and completed his education at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Bob had the fortune to have three loving families. With Ann Harp (née Padbury) he had a daughter, Laura Harp Abernathy, and one grandchild, Lindsey Abernathy. Bob is preceded in death by Laura. With Deloris Mattix (née Armstrong) his family included Cheryl Laurro, and produced two children: Robert (Jan), of Nashville, Tennessee, and Kathy (Tom), of San Antonio, Texas; and two grandchildren: Sydney and Anne Masterson.

In 1995, Bob moved to Naples, Florida where he met and eventually married his soulmate, Shirley Hicks. Bob and Shirley’s blended family includes her two daughters and seven grandchildren. Bob had a successful career in food marketing and helped to evolve the brands of Jeno’s Pizza, Hormel, Calorie Master, Krispy Kreme, Cool Whip, Popsicle, Hodgson Mills, and many others. He also enjoyed several years as a real estate agent in Marco Island, Florida. Bob was an outdoorsman and sportsman at heart, always enjoying golf, hunting and fishing trips with friends. As a natural competitor in life, he especially celebrated the rare moments when Vanderbilt beat University of Tennessee or Michigan State beat Notre Dame. One of his last victories was beating pancreatic cancer for over 10 years. Cheers to you Bob! Donations in his memory may be sent to Hope Church (HopeIsReal.org) or Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCan.org).