Diane (Schulte) Mattison

Our beloved mother Diane Schulte Mattison passed peacefully from this earth on September 20, 2024.

Wife of Donald Mattison. Mother of Gail Forrest/Chris Heidorn, Steve Forrest, Brian/Denise Forrest. Grandmother of  Liz and Matt Forrest, Shane and Justin Forrest; and beloved grandchildren. Stepmom of Susan, Tom and Sandy Mattison. Daughter of  the late Jack and the late Zella Schulte. Sister of the late Brownie Schulte and fortunate friend of many incredible women.

Diane was born and then raised in rural Havana, IL on the Illinois River where she learned true American values like working hard, loving your family unconditionally and caring for others. She was smart as a whip and went off to school at Milliken and University of Minnesota, and while she never finished, she continuously outsmarted most of us at every turn.

She met her first husband the late Dick Forrest in the Northwoods of Wisconsin where she spent her childhood summers. They married and raised three children over two decades in Glen Ellyn.  

Diane met and married her true love Donald Mattison in the mid seventies and remained his betrothed until her death and beyond. Together they built and grew his dental practice in Wheaton, Illinois. They also shared a deep love of music, partnering on management of the Wheaton Symphony Orchestra that Don created and led for sixty years. Both of them received Wheaton’s “Best Citizen” award for this extraordinary accomplishment.

Diane’s greatest joy was her close circle of friends, and she enjoyed travelling, dining and playing bridge with them. One of her constant lessons to her children was that they should “live to give,” she role modeled this philosophy through her many years of dedication to organizations like PEO, Treasure House, the Wheaton Orchestra and various food pantries.

She was an avid gardener, a gourmand, and a beautiful decorator who hated house cleaning (ok sometimes the frig looked like a penicillin factory but she never poisoned any of the kids). She was a gifted pianist, had an incredible eye for art, and was a talented needle worker. Additionally, she was a prolific reader and writer, and while never published, had great stories to tell.

She was the best mom anyone could ever ask for, endlessly supporting her kids with open arms, encouragement, a warm heart and a receptive ear. She will be dearly missed.

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