Dennis Mattingly, 63, surrounded by loving wife Sandy and close family members, passed away peacefully at his home in Anchorage after a courageous 11 year battle with multiple myeloma cancer. A celebration of his life will be held at Tudor Road Bingo in Anchorage on Thursday, January 12, 2012, 11-4 p.m (potluck).
Born on Christmas Eve in 1948 to parents Hubert and Jessie Mae Mattingly in Red Bud, Illinois, Dennis was the youngest of 14 children and known as "Butch." After spending his formative years in Silex, Missouri, where he played Little League baseball and became a lifelong St. Louis Cardinal fan. Dennis moved with family to Anchorage at age of 13. He attended Clark Middle School and East High School, and subsequently Dennis married his high school sweetheart, Marilyn (nee) Barton. Joining the Teamsters as a driver of large vehicles, Dennis and Marilyn started a family that included 3 children: Shane, Tony, and Rhonda.
Dennis was a sports enthusiast who played most everything but lived a lifetime of passion through baseball and bowling. After spending years playing adult league ball and coaching Little League as well as American Legion, Dennis founded the Cook Inlet Bucs Baseball Team in 1980 (later named the Anchorage Bucs in 1984). The Bucs joined the fledgling Alaska Baseball League, a summer league that showcased collegiate talent on the way to the Major Leagues. Serving as the Bucs' General Manager for over 30 years, Dennis excelled at helping young college players reach their potential in the game he cherished. Players that reached the Major Leagues after Dennis' tutelage include standouts; Wally Joyner, Bobby Jones, Jeff Kent, Jered Weaver, and C.J. Wilson. In his tenure with the Bucs, over 750 players proudly wore the Anchorage Bucs uniform.
As an avid bowler, Dennis played in many adult leagues and often bowled over 50 games a week, becoming the honored holder of 4 sanctioned 300 games and an 807 series. In 1996, Dennis married his soul mate Sandy (nee) Reed who shared his passions and was always at his side even as he defiantly fought cancer over the last decade of his life. Turning to additional activities in his later years that included a new boat, more fishing, and gold panning, he always enjoyed time with his grandchildren and was close with his pets (Maddie and Charlie). Dennis Mattingly's strength of spirit touched all who knew him and will endure forever. Dennis is survived by his wife Sandy Mattingly; son Shane Mattingly of Anchorage, wife Jennifer Mattingly, and grandchildren Darby, Shelby, and Abby; son Tony Mattingly of Hudsonville, Michigan, wife Julie Mattingly, and grandchildren Anthony and Jake; daughter Rhonda Fisher, husband Jeff Fisher, and grandchildren Taughnee, Jalen, and Tiana; father in-law and mother-in-law Marvin and Jody Reed of Anchorage; brothers-in-law Doug Reed and wife Irene of Cheyenne, Wyoming, and David Reed of Anchorage; sister-in-law Jenny and husband Roger Timperley of Valley, Nebraska; brothers H.C. "Bud" Edelen of New Hartford, Missouri and JamesEdelen of Sun City, Arizona; sisters Virginia Morse and Joyce Scherder of Bowling Green, Missouri, Jeanne Bishop of Anderson, California, Sue Uhlin of High Point, North Carolina, and Helen Hauser of St. Louis, Missouri.
Dennis was preceded in passing by father Hubert and mother Jessie; brothers Robert Edelen, William "Bing"Edelen, Lester Mattingly; and sisters Toni DiPietro, Lillian Hastings and Delores Buffalo. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Dennis' name to Anchorage Bucs Baseball Team.
Cremation services handled by Cremation Society of Alaska.
Visit the online memorial at legacy.com
