Marie Catherine Matte

ISSOULA – Marie Catherine Matte died as she lived: with quiet dignity, patience, good-humor and love for her family and friends. Marie was 87 years old when she died on Sunday, Feb. 17, 2013.

Symptoms of multiple sclerosis presented in the early 1960s. Her first reactions were anger, frustration and disappointment, but she gradually learned the wisdom of gentle acceptance of those things that neither she nor her physicians could change. Few who have not experienced MS can imagine the pain, insult and outright theft of one's innate faculties that this brutal disease demands, or the heroism of those who face it with acceptance, courage and strength of spirit.

Marie was born in Detroit on Jan. 4, 1926, to Beulah Wood Matte and Joseph Matte II. She was educated in Detroit public schools and later attended Michigan State University, where she was graduated in 1948 with a Bachelor of Science degree in dietetics. She completed a one-year dietetic internship at Cook County (Illinois) Hospital. She worked for a brief period as a home economist for Illinois Power and Light, but as a registered dietitian she was drawn to the challenge of therapeutic dietetics. Marie began work as a clinical dietitian at Columbus Hospital in Chicago, where she wrote the hospital's first diet manual and also taught principles of diet therapy to student nurses. It was at Columbus Hospital, founded by St. Francis Xavier Cabrini and staffed by the Cabrini nuns, that Marie found meaningful expression for her Christian faith, a faith that served her well and lasted a lifetime.

In 1956, Marie traveled to Ohio State University from which she was graduated a year later with a Master of Science degree in dietetics. After working briefly in a research position in Chicago, she moved to Missoula to explore other professional options at the University of Montana. In 1960, Marie moved to Erie, Pa., where she soon began to deal with the debilitating effects of MS. Marie returned permanently to Missoula in 2004, where she made her home at Riverside Health Care Center.

Marie was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Joseph Matte III. She is survived by her older sister, Pauline Matte Marran of Hanover, N.H.; her niece, Karen Matte Schenkenfelder of Crystal Lake, Ill.; and nephews, Bill Matte of Lake Tahoe, Calif., and Jonathan Matte of Alta, Norway. She also is survived by her extended family of many decades, Jamie Yule and Jacqueline Hofmann, both of Missoula.

Marie's family extends deepest gratitude to her excellent physician and friend, Deanna Phinney, as well as to the superb staff and administrators at Riverside Health Care Center. At Riverside she was surrounded by gentle, caring and well-trained people who extended themselves fully to assure that she had a comfortable and welcoming home.

A private Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated.

To honor Marie's deep commitment to feeding the hungry, her family requests that memorials be made to Meals on Wheels, 337 Stephens Ave., Missoula, MT 59801, or Missoula Food Bank, 219 S. Third St. W., Missoula, MT

Read Marie Matte's Obituary and Guestbook on www.missoulafuneralhomes.com.